Editing Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Necrons (section)

==Unit Analysis==

===HQ===
*'''[[Necron Overlord]]''' - Your basic HQ choice, and customizable. Your basic Overlord will cost you the same amount of points as 80 searchlights, and there's a small list of wargear upgrades to choose from. In terms of sheer value, this is the best HQ in the codex. 
*'''Catacomb Command Barge''' - Your Necron Overlord's personal pimp-mobile. He can blast suckas in drive-by shootings thanks to the Catacomb's built in gun, or simply drive closer to hit them with his sword (or Warscythe as the case may be). The Catacomb command barge is now a chariot which basically means it is a walker that moves like a skimmer and has d6 s6 ap - automatic Hammer of Wrath hits. Due to the way chariots work it is more durable than a dreadnought against shooting because you can allocate lance shots and the like to your overlord, however it is a little more vulnerable in CC because enemy units can choose whether they want to strike the Armour 13 barge (if they are anti vehicle) or the T 5 3+ armour save character on top, as soon as either one dies the entire thing goes. Should be used with caution and only against units that it has favourable matchups against, thankfully it is a fast skimmer which should allow for plenty of manouvering. Goes very well with Phaseshifter allowing a 4+/5+(4+ in a decurion detachment) against high AP/S shots you don´t want hitting your barge. Phylactery allows you to roll for both the barge and Overlord making it a must-have. Nice in a mechanized list, since characters no longer fit inside ghost arks, otherwise you should probably consider just bringing wraiths instead. With the changes to Jink, it's cover save for existing has gotten better at the expense of having to snap-fire its gun, but you want to CC with this thing anyway so who cares!?  Another boost is that all Necrons within 12" can re-roll Morale, Pinning, and Fear tests, and if you have the Immortal Hubris WT, this gets upped to all units within 18". Douche Canoe.
**Since most Necron lists will contain an Overlord of some kind the big question becomes how will he go about curb stomping those pesky sergeants. The CCB has some great value and is very threatening when properly tooled up but does leave your overlord exposed and at risk when engaging big things due to possible Explodes! results (keep him the hell away from str 10 weapons, unless you rolled eternal warrior on warlord trait in which case go nuts!). The safer bet is often to grab your footslogging overlord and give him a bodyguard (and maybe a cryptek friend to go pwn some scrubs with). Giving him veil of darkness gives you some great first/second turn board control when you deliver him right to the center of your opponents table edge and he's much more likely to live until the end of the game with some ablative wounds. Now warlord kill may only be one point, but that's your point dammit and nobody's allowed to stop your special snowflakes rampage! NOBODY!!!

*'''Destroyer Lord''' - He misses out on some of the wargear that the Overlord gets, and the +1 to WS and BS he now have, but on the other hand, he gains Jetpack Infantry, T6, Preferred Enemy (Everything!) which gets conferred to whatever unit he joins. Great as a beatstick thanks to his better Toughness; stick him with a unit of Destroyers who are also Jetpack Infantry, and provide a strong deterrent for your opponent, or kit him out to tank wounds on your extremely valuable, literal-murder-machines. Other wargear worth considering would be Res-Orbs.
**'''Alternate View''' since he now is Jetpack Infantry, sticking him in jump units (Wraiths or Praetorians) slows them up. It could still be worth, but he now find a better use in a Lychguard unit or to dispense Preferred Enemy to Warriors or Immortals. Or just run him alone, and you have a T6 relatively fast fire magnet.  If you want to be boring, you could just keep him stock on a Destroyer squad and provide the only fast firing your squad will get.

*'''[[Necron Lord]]''' - Basically a mini version of the Necron Overlord, with WS/BS4 2 Wounds and 2 Attacks (compared to the Overlord's WS/BS5 and W/A3) but they still hit almost as hard as any Overlord for 50 points base instead of 80, and can be kitted out similarly.

*'''[[Cryptek]]''' - Essentially Necron "priests/wizards" employed by Overlords to use their space magic (otherwise known as science) to assist in battle. Sadly the update ripped out any ability for fancy or fun new powers, with the only consolation being a +1 to his group's Reanimation Protocols, which is rendered mostly useless in a Decurion detachment (Reanimation Protocols are cumulative, so if you have a Cryptek who's in the Decurion and would be wounded by an Instant Death weapon, you'd still get a 4+ RP save) and the Chronometron.

====Special Characters====
The following are special characters. Unlike CSMs or Dark Eldar they are not here to be a close combat monsters (though some of them can) but rather buff your army.  If you want an Abaddon-esque killing machine, it's better to take the Overlord and kit him appropriately.

*'''[[Nemesor Zahndrekh]]''' - The senile old coot is actually a surprisingly good tactical HQ choice (given that you can choose and swap your warlord traits), giving nifty bonuses to your units each turn as you can choose any warlord trait from the book, or the 40k main rule book.  He's not very useful in close combat, but he works really well with Vargard Obyron, as described below.  If you ever find a unit with Counter-Attack, Hit & Run, Furious Charge, Split-Fire, Stealth, or Tank Hunters, then he can steal it for his unit too.
**'''Protip:''' - Note that Allies of Convenience count as enemies for all purposes except for being targetable by shooting/melee. This means if you were to grab an allied Tau Shas'o with Puretide Engram Neurochip or a Firebase Support Cadre...
**'''Important to Note''' - You can only choose his warlord trait starting on the second turn, he always starts with Eternal Madness, thus preventing any deployment shenanigans.
*'''[[Vargard Obyron]]''' -  ''The'' close combat HQ, this guy combines good WS with a Warscythe and strong hitting power, and every miss on him in a challenge generates an I1 attack from him.  Needless to say, he and Zahndrekh work pretty well together. Obyron is an excellent character to have in a tarpit, since his high WS gets plenty of hits in with his Warscythe, while he has all the resilience of an Overlord. The only thing he lacks is a Phase Shifter, so be careful of Force Weapons and Monstrous Creatures.  His Ghostwalk Mantle allows his unit to jump out and DS wherever he wants, and this will never scatter when within 12" of Zandrekh (though you can't cheese this to teleport a Royal Court with the two together flawlessly).  His ability to auto-pass Glorious Interventions can easily make him a perfect bodyguard for a squishier HQ.  Sadly, was badly nerfed in the latest release: he's only got two wounds, only builds up attacks while in a challenge, and the lack of an invulnerable save stings as bad as it ever did.  The new RP rule helps him by essentially giving him FNP. Use carefully.

*'''[[Illuminor Szeras]]''' - It's like Dr. Frankenstein, except an undead spider robot.  His statline is nothing special, just a standard Cryptek with [[wat|4 attacks]]; however, he does give a bonus to one unit of Warriors or Immortals in your army, giving them either +1 Toughness, BS5, or Strength for the remainder of the game (A full unit of immortals with +1 toughness will really live up to their name, especially if you have a resurrection orb nearby, seriously, they'll make plague marines look like pussies, combine with Anrakyr to really troll your opponent) and every unit within 6" of him gains the Cryptek +1 to RP. He also has a S8 AP2 Lance shooting attack; if there's a "shooty" hero unit in the Necrons codex, it's Szeras. He's also the cheapest named character in the codex.

*'''[[Orikan the Diviner]]''' - The ''other'' Cryptek character, who gives +1 to RP and re-rolls on 1s for saving throws to his unit, he has an AP 2 weapon that re-rolls to hit in assault, and on each turn you roll a d6 - if the die roll is less than the turn you're currently on (so on Turn 3 you'd have to roll a 2 or lower), then "The Stars Are Right", Orikan goes Super-Saiyan, and gains a massive stat boost (similar in power to a C'tan Shard, complete with a 'bwahahaha!' in the old codex rule description). The new Codex does him a BIG favor and makes the Empowered Orikan now permanent, which is insanity. Can be surprisingly murderous, as this half-price C'tan shard is probably still hidden in a warrior block.
**'''OriKAN'T KILL ME''' a troll-tastic move with Orikan is to team him up with a Destroyer Lord bodyguard with the Nightmare Shroud, Phase Shifter and Phylactery (add in Resurrection Orb and the Solar Staff for added fun with re-rolls and Blind). You now have a unit that tanks shots on majority T6 with a re-rollable 2+ armour save thanks to Orikan, in addition to a 4+ invuln with the ability to re-roll 1s and reanimation protocols on a 4+ on top. Even if he takes a wound to the few things that can hurt him though all that (beware of Vendettas and [[Eldar|Destroyer Weapons]]), he'll probably just shrug it off thanks to It Will Not Die. Now you have a slow but threatening [[DISTRACTION CARNIFEX]] that almost ensures Orikan reaches assault and hopefully turns into a mini-god. For added hilarity fill the rest of your army with Wraiths (take lots of Canoptek Harvest formations) and admire the look on your opponent's face as your insane assault threat bears down on him from all angles.
**'''Orikan-star''' More survivable than the above, take Orikan, an Overlord with the Nightmare shroud, 10 Lychguard, a Destroyer Lord, and some lords with Orbs and scythes. As well as one shmuck with a viel of darkness. Enjoy your 3++ re-rolling 1's Lychguard with Preferred Enemy EVERYTHING.
 
*'''[[Anrakyr the Traveller]]''' - Comes with a Tachyon Arrow and a Warscythe, and gains the Counter-Attack and Furious Charge special rules. If you have Immortals, one unit of Immortals become "Pyrrhian Eternals" for no additional cost, which are basically just like regular Immortals but with Counter-Attack and Furious Charge, making them not quite so shitty in assault. They're still dead against dedicated combat units, but this can provide a critical edge against Tactical Marines and the like. His real strength is his ability to hack enemy vehicles, which means you can cause your mech-happy Imperial Guard opponent to shoot himself with his own tanks. WOLOLO. Be sure to thank your kind opponent for letting you borrow his vehicle.  Unfortunately, this has dropped to 12", and selects a random weapon, meaning you'll usually end firing somebody's heavy bolter sponson or something.  Still hilarious.
**NOTE: Due to Furious Charge, in the first round of combat Anrakyr can potentially insta-gib anything thats Toughness 4 or lower! 

*'''[[Trazyn the Infinite]]''' - aka "The [[Tarpit]] Breaker". [[Troll|Trollzyn]] is probably the best HQ choice you can get if you just love messing with your opponent. He excels at wiping out hordes, thanks to his Empathic Obliterator- if he kills a character in a challenge, he hits absolutely anything from the same faction (friend or foe) within 6" with an S4 AP- hit, usually resulting in many casualties in full strength hordes, though this makes things troublesome if you have units within that range and facing other Necrons.  On top of that, even if he doesn't die, the weapon's S+2 AP4 and has Concussive, so you'll get a good chance to deck him down the next turn. If he dies and rolls a 2+, he can just possess another non-named Necron Character on the table and keep going with d3 Wounds.  Issue with this is that you really won't have many characters to use (unless you're using the detachment with a Court), so it's usually only good for one drop. Use him against tarpits in a unit of Sword and Board Lychguard/Wraiths to cause empathic explosions while killing sergeants or Nobs, then your OTHER dedicated assault units move on tarpit free.  Trazyn is not meant to kill other ICs in challenges, he's meant to take down Sergeants and Nobs to punish your foe for hiding his IC behind them.

===Troops===
*'''[[Necron Warrior|Necron Warriors]]''' - The closest thing the Necrons have to tarpits and cannon fodder, these guys are basically Cronscripts (get it?).  They're the same as last edition except now their minimum squad size is 10 instead of 5.  Just about as good as Space Marines at shooting, and a little cheaper too, but they suffer in close combat, where their I2 and 1 Attack make them worse than Tactical Marines.  Interestingly, their newfound resilience during melee helps address their poor initiative: they will fight toe to toe with tactical marines, happily dragging out the fight so your real melee units can wade in. Perfectly capable of laying down the hurt on anything weaker than that. Great for parking on an objective or just swamping the field with bodies. And with gauss rules, you can quickly strip an enemy vehicle of its Hull Points. That's right, your basic troops can still glance a Land Raider into dust.

*'''[[Necron Immortal|Immortals]]''' - These guys are basically what Warriors used to be, 3+ save and all, except they're 4 points more than base warriors and they have better guns.  Start with gauss blasters, can take tesla carbines for free, both options provide nice anti-infantry dakka. Like Warriors, they're still terrible in close combat, but few things are more satisfying than looking at an opposing Tyranid player's face as a few squads of immortals wipe out pretty much all of his gaunts in one turn with Tesla carbine fire.  If Anrakyr's on the field, Immortals can form a surprisingly effective melee hammer: trick them out with a cryptek or res-orb, tesla some unfortunate souls, charge, and reap the benefits of what mathematically amounts to a 2+ save.  Just watch out for the real melee fighters: they'll still clean out your spiffy troopers.
**Tesla vs. Gauss - One of the biggest decisions around Immortals is whether to field tesla or gauss weapons. Typically, the biggest deciding factor is the tradeoff between rapid-fire and assault weapon types: Gauss immortals can move and fire their Gauss weapons at full capacity (if within 12") and prove to be a threat to vehicles, while a group of Tesla immortals can be expected to either stay outside 12" or fire immediately prior to charging. Mathematically, discounting these two points, the Tesla carbine is equal or superior against all but 4+ armor: (the math still works out in favor of tesla just a slight bump in favor of gauss on 4+ armor then tesla wins again vs MEQ and TEQ)
{| class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed wikitable"
! colspan=7 | Tesla vs Gauss Mathhammer (Expected wounds per shot, Toughness 4)
|-
| Armor Save    || None || 6+ || 5+ || 4+ || 3+ || 2+ 
|-
| Gauss Blaster || 4/9 || 4/9 || 4/9 || 4/9 || 4/27 || 2/27
|-
| Tesla Carbine || 2/3 (6/9) || 5/9 || 4/9 || 1/3 (3/9) || 2/9 (6/27) || 1/9 (3/27)
|}
**Conclusion: If you know you'll be facing 4+ armor (ork 'ardboys, pretty much anything with warrior in the name (Tau Fire, Necron, Tyranid and most of the Aspect kind)), pack your bags with Gauss Blasters.  If not, Tesla Carbines not only won't let you down, but occasionally rock much harder than expected.
**'''Note:''' This is taking into account a similar number of shots. Once the Gauss Blasters are within 12" of their target, Rapid Fire kicks in and they are categorically better than Tesla against all armour types. If you expect to get closer to your opponents (dropping from a Night Scythe, for example, or a forward Objective Capturing squad), Gauss eventually becomes the much better option.  It's also capable of damaging AV 12+, unlike the Tesla, and, in the incredibly unlikely event GW puts out a model that's T9 or T10, the same applies. (Troll that Hierophant, or that Iron Arm-protected GUO...)
**'''Note the Second:''' Gauss works on Overwatch but Tesla does not (i.e. you cannot trigger additional hits), so if you care, the Gauss weapon also clearly wins out there.
**'''New codex note:''' Now that Immortals are less afraid of melee combat and Tesla guns can't scare fliers, Gauss guns pretty conclusively win out.  Rapid fire is not to be discarded lightly, and Gauss/AP4 helps bully the foes Immortals really want to be shooting (vehicles and lighter infantry).  Unless your battle plan calls for a minimum-size objective-holder, keep those double-barrel glowsticks.

===Dedicated Transports===
*'''[[Ghost Ark]]''' - Good for ferrying a unit of ten Necron Warriors, it can be purchased for units above the ten-model transport capacity. It can broadside two different targets with gauss flayers, and even repair d3 Warriors from death. It is worth noting that the ark can repair units of warriors other than the unit it was taken with, so you can shove a unit of 10 in the ark for more protected firepower, and then have it run repairs on the block of 20 that it is sitting next to.  Well, till eventually dice gods laugh and just wipe that unit off the map. Useful for drive-bys with Warrior squads, but unfortunately it can't carry any other unit types.  Penetrating hits will blow up this thing up pretty easily because it's open-topped, but Quantum Shielding and Jink ensure that won't happen too often.
**''New Codex Restrictions'' - The Ghost Ark got something of a backhanded change this edition.  It's cheaper, and the new salvo 5/10 (why not just make them Heavy 10, GW?) guns are definitely better.  On the other hand, only warriors can ride.  Warriors now have a minimum squad size of ten, so there's no way you could put a character in there with them.  Once the warriors start dying, though, they could hop into the clown car.  The result is a complete halt to the old 'nine warriors and a cryptek in an ark', despite making the ark itself better.

*'''[[Night Scythe]]''' (Attack Flyer) - Although it did take a hit in the price Department (Now costing 130 points), the Night Scythe is still a great flyer in 7th edition. It has 3 hull points, fires the equivalent of 4 autocannons (expected number of S7 AP- hits per volley: 14/3), and can teleport troops to the floor whilst zooming. It's also available to immortals, deathmarks, and lychguard.  Mount up Lychguard with Hyperphase Swords and Dispersion Shields, drop those suckers right into the enemy ranks, and then laugh as your opponent shoots them and fails.  However, it is not entirely a reliable buy.  While you can disembark a unit if the Scythe moved no more than 36", the unit that disembarked can only fire Snap Shots if you move more than 24".  Similarly, the scythe protects your unit from any damage, but if it ever crashes, the unit it was carrying must automatically enter Ongoing Reserves, which for the units you'll put in it is only slightly better than death.  S10 AP2 is bad and all, but in many cases you'll wish that'd been the result (awesome mental image of half-dead lychguard rising out of the flier's crater completely aside).
**Keep in mind that, even if the Scythe crashes and your unit goes into Ongoing Reserves, they can still be teleported into battle via a Monolith.

===Elites===
*'''[[Deathmark|Deathmarks]]''' - Deathmarks are Necron snipers with a twist; their Sniper Rifles are 24" rapid-fire allowing them to "move and fire", they can Deep Strike, and they get two special rules to make them even deadlier: '''Hunters from Hyperspace''' means that on the turn they arrive from Deep Strike, they automatically wound on 2+ (and this was FAQ'd to override Sniper weapons only wounding Gargantuan Creatures on 6s) meaning when they drop down, they will put down the hurt or force a lot of saves. To really mess with your opponent, anytime an enemy unit arrives from Deep Strike reserve, the Deathmark unit may then deep-strike '''DURING THEIR TURN''' and shoot at any enemy unit that arrived from reserves at the end of that movement phase, though doing this means they can't fire next shooting phase. 
**'''How to Use Them:''' Deathmarks find use either as an alpha-strike unit where a mass of Wound on 2+ shots can easily dent your opponent's plans, or as a defensive unit. The alpha-strike is fairly cut and dry: Deep Strike in, tap off a lot of shots, and hopefully kill a trouble unit. Note that you "could" use Ethereal Interception to auto-arrive if you're running Deep-Striking Allies of Convenience (such as Crisis Suits or Termicide) if you really want to put pressure on your opponent. On the other side of the coin, Ethereal Interception lets you blunt enemy alpha-strikes or set up your own traps; If your opponent is running Skyhammers, Haywire Scourges, or Farsight Bombs, D-Scythe Webway Portal Wraithguard or other similarly punchy "bomb" units, a pair of Deathmark units can deny such attacks in one go, before proceeding to make a nuisance of themselves during your turn. Note that although they cannot fire in the following Shooting Phase, there is nothing preventing them from assaulting another unit when their turn comes; while they don't hit hard in melee at all, they do have Reanimation Protocols and a 3+ save so they can tie up smaller squads or serve as "ablative wounds" for killier units in a multi-assault. 
**<strike>If you don't mind losing all your friends, take an HQ with a Veil of Darkness. Since this gives them Deep Strike, you can start them in DS reserve attached to a unit of deathmarks. Since the veil uses deep strike rules and Hunters From Hyperspace activates when the unit "arrives by deep strike", you can use this to get an extra round of 2+ wounds once per game. If you're fielding a monolith, you don't even need to leave the HQ behind enemy lines.</strike>
**Deathmarks do not combine that well with the Veil of Darkness, actually. Hunters from Hyperspace specifically notes that it applies when the unit "arrives by deep strike '''reserves'''". The VoD only allows the unit to be placed according to the Deep Strike rules - no benefits of arriving from Resrves apply, hence Hunters from Hyperspace does not apply.

*'''[[Lychguard|Lychguards]]''' - Your terminator equivalents (ironic since the Necrons look like those time travelling robot assassins from a certain movie franchise) that took a very generous price cut (200 to 125?  WOOT).  For the cost of an Honour Guard member, you get T5, reanimation protocols, but only a 3+ save. Their main basic weapon is a warscythe, which is the same awesome can-opener that you can give to your Lords and Overlords.  However, the better bet is usually to exchange the warscythe for a Hyperphase Sword and Dispersion Shield. The shield gives you a 3++ invul, which adds to your survivability. Terminator's wish they could take as much damage as these guys. To kill a single Sword and Board Lychguard you need to fire <i>18 strength 5 shots with BS 4.</i> The best way to run these is to use them as an escort for your Overlord.  Give your Lychguard Swords and Shields, and the Overlord a Warscythe or the Voidreaper. If you have the points, toss in a Necron Lord with another Warscythe and upgrade to taste.  Make sure someone in the unit is a cryptek, or you are in a decurion, since even a single four rolled and you'll make your points back and then some. While they're a semi-competent melee unit, they are very slow unless put in a transport so most units can simply walk away from them. The real use for these guys is simply bodyguard duty to a combat Overlord.  The limitations of Lychguard prevent them from being a truly competitive choice, and it's best to leave the heavy-hitting to Wraiths... unless you're rolling Obyron.  In that case, go nuts.  
** Think about putting a few Lychguard and their O-lord into a Nightscythe, and drop em into your opponent's backfield. Chucking Orikan in with these guys can get some crazy results, as a 3+ invuln rerolling ones followed up by a 4+ reanimation is a nightmare to deal with, let alone when Orikan goes super saiyan.
** If you ever wanted a unit that will never ever die and make an anvil to your hammer then these are your ultra lethal robots. Ten of these bad boys with their shields will run you 300 points, which isn't cheap, but if you're taking them there is a fantastically easy way to make them into a melee death-star. Step one, grab an overlord with veil of darkness, res orb, and warscythe (optional phase shifter and the veil is cheaper than a night scythe). Step two, grab a cryptek with solar staff (if you're feeling lucky save 25 points by keeping warscythes on lychguard and give the cryptek a chronometron). Step three, deep strike across the board turn one right in front of your opponents army; the more outnumbered your guys are the better. Step four, laugh maniacally as your opponent squirms underneath your unit that will take literally their whole army to take maybe two models off of any turn. Now this combo will likely run you upwards of 500 points which is pushing the limit on points for one unit but I personally can testify to it's effectiveness. Bonus points if you put Orikan in place of the cryptek to really make your opponent cry as you reroll all 1's on saves. If you give your overlord the Nightmare Shroud, he will effectively have a re-rollable 2+ save - this means that, with 4+ reanimation, it will take an average of '''''972 bolter shots''''' fired at BS4 to kill him.
**  Things they are not: assault terminators.  While they have the edge in toughness, they are woefully short in terms of offensive capability.  They are much more vulnerable to assault than one might hope for such a unit, especially with challenges kicking in, and their cumbersome blades simply don't compete with thunder hammers or other "dedicated assault elite" loadouts.  

*'''[[Triarch Praetorian|Triarch Praetorians]]''' - A close combat unit similar to Lychguards though slightly costlier, Praetorians are the sword to the Lychguards' shield. They're Jump Infantry, making them much more mobile than Lychguards, and bear an unusual weapon: a Rod of Covenant is an AP2 Two-Handed weapon with a 12" S5 AP2 shooting attack, essentially giving them another attack before they charge. Their alternate weapons are voidblades and particle casters - this gives their shooting attack better strength in exchange for much worse AP, while their close combat weapons gain Rending and Entropic Strike. While this doesn't initially seem as good as outright ignoring armor altogether, they do get a bonus attack for having a pistol and close combat weapon, essentially trading quality for quantity. Even with this extra attack they lose combat to Grey Hunters, Spiky Spess Mehrens, and pretty much any other half-competent combat unit.  Two attacks and a 5+ RP save on a combat unit (Upped to 4+ if you use a Decurion, join with a Cryptek or just stick near Szeras) makes them pretty damn decent now.
** Alternate take: voidblade-equipped Praetorians make acceptable vehicle-hunters, for they are fast and have entropic strike. While being not as deadly as warscythe Lychguards, Praetorians actually CAN catch even fast skimmers and glance them to death. Of course, a unit of Scarabs will do the same for half the points, but if you want to be a unique snowflake, go ahead and take these...
**'''Alternate take the second:''' The Rod of Covenant is able to lay the hurt onto Elite infantry via AP2 shooting and CC, especially now that Praetorians dropped an amazing 12 points in cost AND they gained an additional Attack, taking them to 2 base. The Voidblade Combo is AP4 in CC, which people tend to overlook. Anything lower than a Marine, they mulch and anything Marine and up, they harass via Rending. In their formation, they gain rerolls to Hit, Pen and Wound, meaning much better shooting attacks (only in the shooting phase do you get the rerolls), enabling them to scare heavy stuff like Wraithknights or absolutely mulch their preferred prey.

*'''[[Flayed Ones]]''' - These guys have the basically the same stats as a Necron Warrior. Same save, same Strength, toughness,initiative, and point cost. However, they have no guns. To compensate, they have 4 S4 AP5 attacks in combat with Shred (yeah, each claw counts as a separate weapon). Like their former [[Counts As]] room mate the Mandrakes, the Flayed ones are usable now with their twin AP5 Shred claws, and Fear makes them hell on wheels against any non-daemonic or S.M. opponent. If they get into combat, which they likely will between Reanimation Protocols, Deep Strike and Infiltrate, they will mulch up ''anything'' of comparable cost up until they run into something they can't even wound/pen on 6s. But for that, you have Warriors, right? Right. 10 assault terminators with shields and hammers? With a full squad you get 100 attacks on the charge, 50 hits, and ~37 wounds due to shred, so mathematically 6 1/6th Terminators dead. You'll survive till next turn, and lo and behold, assault terminators mulched up by NECRONS. Keep also in mind that aforementioned Terminators cost the opponent almost as much as you would pay for '''Thirty-Five''' Flayed Ones. 
**However, more warriors tend to be the safer choice in Edition Ranged Combat.
**Ridiculously easy to convert warriors into flayed ones with a few stabby bits, some repositioning and some imagination. No need to suffer those abominations GW has graced us with.
**Also do not forget they are still Necrons, so they will still be hitting last against most dedicated assualt units and will be hitting on fours against most opponents with only a 4+ armour save and hopefully RP to protect them. Statistically Genestealers, Ork Boys (with a Pain boy will guarantee this), Wracks, Khorne Berserkers, Incubi, Nobs/Meganobz, CC equipped Tyranid Warriors, daemons, Lightning Claws Terminators (they are hitting first with shred, and Blood Angels ones will massacre them), CC equipped Grey Hunters, Death Company, or other close-combat specialists will strike first and could deal enough alpha damage to put them down. But still they are far from unusable now and are quite viable since they are cheaper then most of the squads that can reliably take them, and can still give these a degree of trouble (that list above, for example, tends to lose point-for-point if the flayed ones get the charge). Just remember to play to their strengths, they are now supreme light-infantry shredders and excellent for stalling tough cc squads and MC so that heavier hitters in your army can come and deal with them.
** Faced with combatants the Flayed Ones are legitimately bothered by, don't throw them away.  Death Company and the like will do them irreparable damage on a charge before they can strike back, which you do not want.  Instead, try some fabian tactics, and only commit once your foes have chosen an untenable battle.
** Fortunately, the Maynarkh Dynasty/"Dark Harvest" supplement (see below) now has to use the Flayed One profile (excluding what slot they're in) in Codex: Necrons, due to the fact that they are the most updated rules for them. The Minimum may be 10, but they are moved to Troops, which is worth the trade off. They can also take Flensing Scarabs, which are FUCKING USELESS as Flayed one Claws already have Shred.
** Team a full squad up with two crypteks, give one (or both) of them a chronometron and the other one the veil of darkness. If you have followed the recipe, you now have a 440pt infantry-blender which can deep strike across the board with it's HQs along for the ride and saves on at least 5++/4+++ against anything weaker than a destroyer weapon and 4+/4+++ against such petty trifles as stormbolters. Heavy infantry get to shake hands with so many attacks that their invulnerable saves are wasted points, and weak troops just get puréed. Even the crypteks can come in handy with their six assault shots and four attacks zinging in from safety in the rear ranks (all at a nice marine-opening AP3). It's expensive, and risky, but it's bags of fun to let loose behind your enemy's line and the models are sufficiently unassuming that it's somehow the opposite of a distraction carnifex.

*'''[[Triarch Stalker]]''' - Basically the Necron Dreadnought in squads.  Tough enough for most melee work, and packing high Strength and a good number of attacks in close combat which unfortunately doesn't ignore armour, Stalkers work well as all-rounders.  The Heat Ray acts as either a heavy flamer or a two-shot multi-melta, great for killing tanks and infantry alike. Additionally, fellow non-vehicle Necrons within 6" gain +1BS (Not TL, but it still helps). If you want to specialize in killing infantry, the Particle Shredder drops a nasty pie plate at a decent range, while the twin-linked Heavy Gauss cannon is an option if you really need to keep your distance. The Heat Ray is this author's go-to choice, as it won't disappoint in almost any battlefield conditions. These are a solid pick for your elite slots, though the other options have made up a lot of ground in this edition.
**Triarch Stalkers are notorious for being ''massive'' firepower magnets, so don't ever hinge a strategy on yours surviving; if your opponent is any definition of the word "competent", then he will make it his business to see that the Stalker does not live to see the end of the game.  Once their shielding goes down Stalkers are rather vulnerable for their cost and combat role. For this reason, it can be worthwhile to keep a Canoptek Spyder or two with fabricator claws close by in case it needs repairing.  Furthermore, the new codex drops their cost and [[awesome|lets you bring them in squads!]]
**If you are actually able to make your stalker survive (taking multiple, hiding behind monolith or terrain, etc.), take Nemesor Zahndrekh as well and swap his warlord trait for the '''Target Priority''' (command trait that allows you to re-roll 1's with all units within 12" of him when shooting). This let's you hit with all your gauss goodness on 2+ re-rollable.
**Use the Triarch to support a Destroyer Lord in a blob of Warriors or Immortals, suddenly you have a squad no one wants to get near that almost never misses. On average for every 40 shots you will miss one.  Destroyer squads benefit every bit as much, throwing lots of incredibly-accurate dakka downrange.

*'''[[C'tan|C'tan Shard of Nightbringer]]''' - In another slap to the C'Tan's face, there are no more simple C'Tan Shards, just Transcendents and the ancient Deceiver and Nightbringer Models.  The Death God has WS6 BS4 MC Character and S7 T7 with Fleshbane, making him one you'd want in melee.  He also has a special power that forces an enemy within 12" to take 3d6-Ld wounds at AP2 with Ignores Cover.  This allows him to restore a wound if he kills at least one person, and makes it the nearly undisputed king of monstrous creature combat (usually killing Tyranid MCs before they even get to swing).  Even if you dislike the randomized powers, this is still a decent grab if you want to focus more anti-vehicle while he takes out any elite infantry in ways the [[Maleceptor]] only wishes he could.

*'''[[C'tan|C'Tan Shard of Deceiver]]''' - See above for the reason this exists.  He's got WS5 BS5 S7 T7 and is better meant for screwery.  He gets Hit & Run and forces enemies within 12" to take -2 Ld (SUCK IT SITW).  He can also grab d3 units within 12" of him after Infiltration and Scout moves and either redeploy them or jump into Reserves if you think they'll need it.
**One thing to consider is using the Deciever and the Nightbringer together with the Deceiver's Leadership penalty to nearby units, and the Nightbringer's AP2 Leadership dependent attack you could make some units even easier to kill *cough*Wraithknight*cough

*'''Tomb Stalker (Forge World)''' - A T7, 4 wound Monstrous Creature with all sorts of neat special rules. Poison and Fleshbane wound it on a 6 instead, so take 3 when fighting Dark Eldar. It can deepstrike or outflank with acute senses, so you have a few different ways to get it where in needs to go. It's got a good number of attacks and is as resilient as you should expect a Necron monstrous creature to be. Now that it's been moved from Heavy Support to Elite, it's definitely worth considering. The only drawback is that it's pretty expensive, weighing in at at 220 points after you purchase It Will Not Die, which you should always do. Another thing to note is that it comes in squads of one it can almost always make use of the rampage USR.  Competes with the C'tan shards, but unfortunately comes up short: it neither beats them in melee combat nor has meaningful ranged weapons to answer their unpredictable-but-potent Powers, outdoing them only with its venom resistance and deployment options.

===Fast Attack=== 
*'''Canoptek Wraiths''' - 2 wound T5 Beasts with Rending attacks and a 3+ Invuln, and surprisingly good in assault thanks to their whips having an ability that boosts their initiative to 5, allowing them to hit before a lot of units in the game. They can also take particle casters (essentially S6 AP5 pistols) or transdimensional beamers, which is now a S4 AP2 gun with 6+ wound/Instant Death/penetrating hit. Unfortunately, beamers are heavy weapons, which aren't good on an assault unit like Wraiths - you're better served by the particle casters or the whip coils. At least they have toughness 5 now, which means that entire squads won't die to light bolter fire in one turn. Wraiths are great at protecting valuable units (e.g. Triarch Stalkers) from an assault. Their only downside is, as one of the 'Canoptek' family of machines, they don't have the Reanimation Protocols special rule, so are unable to come back to life. They come in a minimum squad size of 3; for what they lack in (relative) longevity (possibly no longer an issue as they are now TOUGHNESS 5 Beasts), they more than make up for in mobility.
**In the Canoptek Harvest formation, however, they become absolute nightmares. Thanks to Relentless, the Transdimensional Beamer is now a very strong, if expensive, TEQ killer and thanks to Adaptive Subroutines they can have Reanimation Protocols (which thanks to the Decurion detachment can be upped to 4+ like normal), making them insanely durable with T5, 3++, 2W and a 4+ FnP that Instant Death only reduces to 5+.
*** Be careful with the Canoptek Harvest Formation however. In order to get Reanimation Protocols you need to stay within 12 inches of your Spider who can only move 6 inches a turn, which limits your mobility down to next to nothing. So yeah, be careful. (Unless you Run the Spyder).

*'''Canoptek Scarabs''' - One of the few units with the "Entropic Strike" rule, meaning that it can glance or insta-wound on a 6 to-wound/to-pen. Unfortunately, Scarabs have unimpressive stats (WS2, S3) and their weapons don't ignore armor saves. Flamers will also ruin their day, ignoring their measly armour and doing double damage against them, and S6 weapons will outright kill them. However, they are wonderful tarpits, with 3 Wounds per base and 4 attacks each. Sadly, it can no longer fuck up enemy armor values, but they're still fine tarpits with their likelihood of glancing or just lucking out on a wound and killing an unlucky bloke who failed his armour save.  It's not like they can run either, as these little bugs are Beasts. Also unfortunately, they now cost 5 points more for a base and dropped two points off their armour save, making them pretty expensive for something that implodes when an Assault Cannon or flamer looks at it funny.
** The Maynarkh Army List also turns them into absolutely deadly units against anything ''without'' an armour value at the cost of being much worse against vehicles. WS3 helps out quite a bit for hitting stuff and Shred/Rending is one of the most deadly combinations in the game. Go ahead, take a picture of the Tau player's face when he realizes that fucking Scarabs hit his Riptide on 3s, Wound on 6s but with rerolls and ignoring his armour save. And all of that for the exact same cost you now pay for your standard Scarabs.
**Never underestimate scarabs. For some reason opponents always seem to assume they're not very dangerous and so they let them run right up to their vehicles or other units unmolested. Being beasts they can easily run from cover to cover and so they do become annoying to kill without str 6 or flamers but if they do get shot that's less damage on your more expensive units. If they can get even a single tank in their tiny clutches then they have already payed for themselves, especially if you manage to grab a baneblade or some other super heavy. Alternatively, opponents will focus them, which given how cheap they are, usually means double, even triple their value in shots will be dumped into them, leaving your more valuable units untouched. Either way, your opponent has had a bad day. 
**Ther Troof: They are distractions. Scarabs, like Wraiths, tarpit things and kill them through weight of attacks. They do not need to kill anything, they just need to stall it long enough for a more suitable unit to finish the job. Have a knight to deal with, but need your warriors somewhere else? Throw Scarabs at it until you can finish him off with Gauss/Warscythes later. Want to piss off Tau, and threaten their Marker Light support? Chase the Tetras and Crises suits, tie up the pathfinders. Scarabs are a '''Support''' unit, meant to harass specials, and strip hull/wounds off of vehicles and slow monstrous creatures. Use these guys to shepherd your opponent, and force their hand. But don't expect them to kill anything or survive if your opponent considers them a genuine threat.

*'''[[Tomb Blade|Tomb Blades]]''' - Jetbikes with twin-linked guns, capable of being upgraded with a 3+ armor save, and either Ignores Cover or +1 to cover saves. Great for zipping around the battlefield, harassing any stray infantry units, and particle beamers could even be used to take on light vehicles as well.  Like many Necron units, it seems to be purpose made to make Tyranids and Chaos Daemons cry.  What's that?  Your hive guard's AP can't touch my jetbike's armor save and your Zoanthropes can't shoot far enough to hit them?  Hahahahaha sucks to be you. Their cost dropped significantly, but if you want to buy the 3+ armour saves and Stealth and other goodies you're still running fairly expensive models. Unfortunately, while these guys are fast and moderately survivable, they have a hard time killing the priority targets you'd really want removed. The Particle Beamer is only an AP5 small blast, and if you don't take that then you get one of the same guns that Immortals get. Ignores cover is nice, but with a maximum AP of 4 you won't scare devastator squads or broadsides. Also, there's no way to give them a Resurrection Orb without slowing them down (although with the decurion this matters not at all).
** Despite all the above, they can be a solid unit: if you want to take them, take a cheap squad (too many models makes them a priority target), plink shots into corners or exposed squads, and remember to turbo-boost to contest objectives late game. Another idea is to think of them as tougher, faster immortals with Ignores Cover. Twin-linked gauss blasters will hardly ever miss, so point them at those Tyranid warriors before they can hurt you too much (Note that they won't kill a whole unit in a single turn, they're best used for making your enemy think twice about assaulting you). The particle beamers help them do their job, tossing a few high-strength blasts into someone you want annoyed, and represent death incarnate to IG heavy weapons teams. Take 5 of them, add ignores cover, and you're looking at 100 pts for a squad of irritating little buggers.  Don't be too afraid to assault, either: they can move 12", rapid-fire, then charge with hammer of wrath, while T5 and reanimation protocols will soak up melee damage from some unfortunate artillery team.
** At just 2 points per model, it's almost always a good idea to give them the shield vanes for a 3+ armour save.
** Surprisingly, a full squad can fit in a Night Scythe, if you want to stick them in a transport for some reason (though they cannot buy one for themselves).

*'''[[Necron Destroyer|Necron Destroyers]]''' - They're not jetbikes anymore, they're not Jump Infantry anymore either... They're Jetpack Infantry! Jump shoot jump shenanigans are in at the price of speed. They have Preferred Enemy (Everything!), meaning that they reroll all to-hit & to-wound rolls of 1 in both shooting and assault, and one of them (or three in a heavy support slot) can be upgraded to a Heavy Destroyer (essentially lascannons on a jet infantry model). Regular Destroyers make Marines cry with their S5 AP3 Heavy 2 (But they have relentless so it doesn't matter...) guns, while Heavy Destroyers will blast tanks and Termies to shreds. Expect them to attract lots of fire in return, however, and don't let them end up in close combat, where they will die horribly like almost any other ranged 'Cron in CC. Luckily, your opponent's CC guys should rarely ever into contact with your Destroyers, considering how they can now Jump shoot jump like crisis suits except perhaps better (2 wounds, toughness 5... yeah, better). Like crisis suits, they are masterful at surprising enemy formations and then blowing the crap out of them. Regular Destroyers are best used in conjunction with your Infantry Phalanx (You... You are running multiple squads of max-strength Immortals with these guys, right? If you're using flyers as your bulk, using Destroyers is superfluous) to provide Hardpoint elimination, rapid-response teams, and Hero-hammer harassers. Nearby Stalkers will also boost their accuracy to an absurd 97.2% hit rate, and Heavy Destroyer squads (heavy support slot, unfortunately) can bring three Heavy Gauss Cannons instead of one.
** Their vulnerability has decreased manyfold since last edition. Not only have they gotten an additional wound, they now also actually get to make use of reanimation protocols, in a decurion detachment they are effectively 4 times as durable as previously.

*'''Canoptek Acanthrites (Forge World)''' - Beefier Wraiths that specialize in busting vehicles and heavy infantry. T5, W3, and 3+. The have Stealth and carry Voidblades and S6 Assault 1 Meltas. Unfortunately, they don't have the invulnerable save that their Wraith counterparts have, instead relying on 3+ armor and Stealth. Their best place is in a list whose main troops consist of Tesla-Immortals to provide some much-needed anti-tank. Throw in a Destroyer Lord and eat Land Raiders for breakfast. Also, if you're thinking of running a Wraith-Wing army, consider an Acanthrite-Wing instead, since you can take these things in units of '''9'''.
**'''Alternate View:''' Unfortunately, as these came out during the last Codex, they are slightly overcosted for what they do, especially now that normal Wraiths have T5, too. Their main shtick is to melt vehicles, which your basic Troops can do better for the cost. Additionally, Stealth and Jump Infantry has little synergy, what with Dangerous Terrain tests if you land in area terrain. If you want to use them seriously, wait until Forge World updates their rules. In casual games or alongside Tesla Immortals, though, they're alright. Also, they have no place in a Decurion detachment.

*'''Canoptek Tomb Sentinel (Forge World)''' - A new Tomb Stalker variant that focuses on ranged combat rather than close combat. It uses an Exile cannon which works kinda like a Transdimensional Beamer, but bigger. It's neat, but it has fewer CC attacks than the Tomb Stalker for the same price, carries a gimmicky gun that will do nothing more often than not, and eats up a valuable Fast Attack slot. It still has Rampage and the Stalker's Deep Strike/Outflank option though, it will eat tarpits and light infantry blobs for breakfast and Its weapon auto-penetrates any vehicle touched by the template. Couple this last one with S10 from Smash and in a pinch it can also eat a tank or two to vary its usual diet of infantry.

===Heavy Support===
*'''[[Necron Destroyer|Heavy Destroyer]]''' - If you're planning on running something akin to an Oldcron army and feel miffed by all these expensive aeroplanes and hovering chariots, you can settle with the Heavy Destroyer.  Grab two more for a pack, and watch things pop open even faster with your fellow Destroyers. Tip: If you can manage to get a Triarch Stalker near these guys, like 3 Heavy Destroyers on each side of the Stalker within 6", it gives them all BS5, so hit on 2's, reroll 1's due to PE, then same for Wounds. Almost guaranteed 3 (or however many destroyers you can get near it) AP2 wounds.  If these guys happen to be part of the Destroyer Cult formation you're looking at one of the best anti-tank batteries in the game (as they'll reroll all failed wounds '''and armor penetration rolls''') - but unfortunately you will have to take a Destroyer Lord and 9 regular Destroyers as well (minimum 470 points), so don't take the Destroyer Cult just for the Heavy Destroyers.

*'''[[Doomsday Ark]]''' - Basically a Ghost Ark with the transport capacity removed and replaced by a big gun instead. Unfortunately, it has the same problem that Heavy Destroyers had in the previous codex; it's a huge gun mounted on a fragile platform. AV 13 with quantum shielding, and Open Topped do not make a good combination for an expensive model like this. Thankfully, the Doomsday Cannon has a long range in the stationary mode, so keep it in the back of your army where it can spit S10 AP1 pie plates at anything that moves.  This thing got a curveball buff in the Primary Weapon special rule.  Yes, that's right, the same special rule you see on Titan weapons: it rerolls armor penetration like an Ordnance weapon.  In fact, this is basically Ordnance's hotter cousin. It is now decent on the move as it then fires a S8 AP3 blast at 24". Tip: Always shoot these first and ALWAYS target the most suitable (expensive) infantry squad (i.e: First you blast TEQs, then MEQs and work your way up from there) or vehicle. A full-power shot has a very high chance of completely wiping a Tactical Marine squad off the table so if you use these wisely, you can cause your opponent to have an epileptic fit by Turn 2. While it can certainly dish out the hurt, it can't take it. Armies that have problems with strength based instant-death weapons with high AP values and templates (tyranids), are known to pretty much spontaneously explode at the mere sight of this thing (NOTE: after their recent downgrade, Tyranids explode more or less on their own).  Thanks to Primary Weapon, these things also turn mech-happy IG armies into powder turn one.
** '''If you jink, you can't fire the main gun''' (firing snap shots and blasts don't mix), so be careful. Still better to jink than take a dozen lascannons, though...
** Before you pop too many boners over the Ark ask yourself why you don't see vast numbers of vindicators and demolisher-russes. With great power comes a great big bullseye on your butt. Don't delude yourself into thinking you'll magically evaporate a squad every turn. You can certainly dish out the hurt but enemies still get cover saves and you are still vulnerable. A special rule that encourages the enemy to fire lascannons and krak missiles at you doesn't bode well for your survivability.
** Obviously, not everyone can afford this option, and not every agrees to play with FW stuff, but I definitely recommend using these with a Tomb Citadel. A couple Doomsday Arks and Warriors to block the entrances makes for one hell of a shooting stronghold. Back it up with 2 Gauss Exterminators for anti-flier and you can kill just about anything other than Nurgle daemons in ruins. But hey, we have Tomb Blades for that. I always had trouble with nearly every army destroying my Arks (mostly bad luck, even had a Flyrant get lucky with a 6 to pen, and another 6 to explode) and this mostly solves the problem.

*'''[[Annihilation Barge]]''' - A Catacomb Command Barge, with the Overlord's pimp chair replaced with a big gun (seem familiar?). This used to be the bread and butter of most lists - it was just too good to not consider. As of now it's much less impressive: it's AV13 on front and sides thanks to quantum shielding, has living metal and costs 120 points. Oh, did I mention that it has a strength 7 weapon that fires 4 times but hits an average of 5.5 times, then for desserts either carries a strength 6 tesla cannon or a gauss cannon for killing marines, daemons and tyranids? Still an excellent unit, delivering more fairly-high-strength shooting than almost anything similar, at an increased but still reasonable cost.  Great at taking down transports, monstrous creatures, or infantry with poor saves.  Unfortunately, as Tesla no longer affects snap shots this thing can no longer effectively target fliers, while also losing a lot of firepower if it has to jink.

*'''[[Monolith]]''' - A big floating pyramid that blasts [[gauss]] death from every orifice. No longer as ungodly invincible as it was in third edition, the monolith suffers from a number of drawbacks including unwieldy size, hefty cost, and unimpressive offense, making up for it by being the toughest armour in one of the toughest armies around (until the Obelisk shows up, that is).  The black brick can teleport Necron units through its Eternity Gate, blow holes in hordes, and snap-fire four banks of gauss blasters.  If you take one, take it for its durability and dimensional transport, not its middling firepower.
**The Monolith can deep strike, fire its whip and its flux arcs (although only snap shoot these) in the same turn it lands in the enemy's face. This isn't bad for 200 points (until you mishap) but most other Necron vehicles are probably still going to be more cost effective on offense.
**Don't forget, this thing is a monster for blocking TLOS. Tactics using allies with barrage weapons do exist for this model.
**Not mentioned above, the monolith isn't restricted with normal firing limitations of one target per shooting phase. With all 4 gauss flux arcs and the particle whip the monolith can technically fire at 5 different targets in a single shooting phase. Although independently none of the shooting attacks are particularly notable, it is an impressive number of targets one can engage at once. It is notable that due to the fire arcs of the various weapons, the monolith is never able to fire all weapons at a single target unless said target is a blob that for some reason decided to surround your giant fat ass tank.
**If you still feel like taking it, take a Spyder too (or three), and kit it out with its gloom prism and fabricator claw array. Hide it behind the monolith, and when Abbadon gets too big for his boots and comes to smack you up a bit, jump out of the portal, shout 'BOO!' and make him run away again. Take wraiths with whip coils for added pain. The gloom prism will provide you with some very useful psyker defense (The only one you're going to get for the Necrons, mind) for your flying fortress, and that claw can repair you if your opponent tries to get rid of your guns.
**7th edition's change to the vehicle damage tables make the Monolith much tougher: as the only land vehicle you've got that isn't open-topped, the Monolith will find itself facing Explodes! results a lot less often than Annihilation Barges or Doomsday Arks, and Living Metal actually benefits it by granting 6+ IWND.  Realistically, this thing is exceptionally tough: it shrugs off crew shaken and stunned results, has enough weapons that Weapon Destroyed results rarely matter (and its portal abilities aren't susceptible to Weapon Destroyed anyway), isn't reduced in AV toughness after suffering a penetrating hit unlike almost all other Necron vehicles, doesn't crash on immobilized results and doesn't need to turn anyway... The 7th edition also graced the monolith with other goodies such as changes to smash, vector strike, rending, blast template damage (this is a little lost since it is AV 14 all around), and the downgrading of many anti-tank weapons (broadside Rail guns anyone?). All together, the Monolith is still one of the toughest things you can buy with 200 points and when paired with a Spyder or two and their repair claws it can survive the whole game.  Just don't overestimate it: this will not singlehandedly win you the war.
**Given the Monolith receiving a toughness boost this edition, it could be interesting trying the Monolith out again as what it was intended to be, as a high strength beachhead maker by dropping in enemy lines and teleporting in high strength hitters from reserves and across the board. Be careful of things that can still hurt you such as meltas, some monstrous creatures (not as many thanks to the smash nerf), and of course deepstrike mishaps.  Bring down the Decurion formation, and as long as your Obelisk doesn't fail the Monoliths won't scatter.
*** Deep strike scatter is not movement, thus skimmer rules aren't a saving grace by RAW any more than the fact it's a tank saves it by allowing it to "Tank Strike" (Tank Shock/Ram from [Deep Strike] Reserve)... Nope, it's a big box that has to worry about landing in small spaces. Even the formation just makes it easier to stick more big boxes next to one that's already wedged itself somewhere. Deep Strike with care.
*** Says who? "... in the Movement Phase during which they arrive, DS units may not move any further..." You wouldn't talk about moving "further" if you haven't moved at all yet, ergo DS counts as move. Basic English.
**** How about; "it's hotly contested and should probably (but likely never will be) FAQ'd"[http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/0/518371.page] [http://www.warseer.com/forums/showthread.php?401231-Skimmers-and-Deep-Strike-Mishaps] 
**Probably the best way to use this floating brick is in support of warrior spam. Take 3, fill out your troop choices with warriors and line your back field with monoliths. Dealing with Drop pod or deepstrike bullshit? Not a problem. Teleport your warriors from one monolith through another with its eternity gate. Against Tau and Imperial guard just deepstrike it and immediately march twenty warriors out of the front during the next turn (Same turn if it's in the Living Tomb formation). Really this thing is just a fire support bunker designed to help warriors and clear hordes. Just watch out for meltas and termi spam and you'll do fine.

*'''[[Doom Scythe]]''' (Attack Flyer) - Another re-purposed transport vehicle with the transport capacity replaced with a massive gun- Just like the Doomsday Ark and Annihilation Barge (and the Vindicator, the Hammerhead and the Fire Prism...). Ridiculously fast with Supersonic, and carries a powerful 24" Death Ray (a S10 Ap1 Lance, Blast). And with the current flyer rules, this thing is INCREDIBLE: 6 to hit it, and has a cover save. Take two to make your opponent have a fit over having his expensive tanks explode at the same time. Take three, back them up with Night Scythes to simply throw all your enemy ground based anti-air out of table on turn two, and watch him weeping. However, although the Death Ray is powerful, remember that it doesn't ignore cover or take multiple wounds, so think twice about loading up on Doom Scythes if you're going to be facing armies that have a lot of skimmers or MCs. Not to mention the Chaos and DE vehicles that have invulnerable saves anyway.  However, it very nearly ignores vehicle armour, since it never does worse than glancing on 2s and penetrating on 3s, with AP 1 to boot.
:If you're used to the old Doom Scythe, make sure to remember it no longer draws lines - it's just a really nice gun now, following the normal rules.
**Pro-tip: make sure to blast the Hydra and any other AA units off of table the turn your Scythe arrives. As long as it didn't get dicked over first that is.

*'''Canoptek Spyders''' - Cheap as dirt Monstrous Creatures that are T6 W3 3+, and can be taken in units of three. How cheap? Well, some armies have Terminators with a higher base cost. Yes, really. They can even create Scarabs, and can take some nasty wargear as well. Fabricator claws can repair Necron vehicles,and Gloom Prisms give Adamantium Will to the Spyder and all units within 12" of it. Can't stop buffs, but it can protect you from some witchfires. You can even take three of them for one Heavy Support slot, making them worth considering despite their stiff competition for the Heavy Support slot. The 7E codex toned down the cost of a few key upgrades, including the fairly excellent twin-linked particle beamer. They're tough as balls to kill, can go toe to toe with most threats, and are the cornerstone of one of the finest formations to grace a Decurion. They really are an excellent unit, and their primary competitors within the Heavy slot recently sidled out of the way. Welcome to the tabletop, Canoptek Spyders.

*'''[[C'tan|Transcendent C'Tan]]''' - This 250-point tool is now WS/BS5 with S8 T7 and 5 wounds with EW.  Its powers are randomized, and now the only reason you'd grab it is for some protection as Writhing Worldscape (which makes anyone within 6" of the shard act like they're in Difficult Terrain) is the only thing default for them and they're Monstrous Creatures.  Mobility isn't an issue for them with the ability to bounce wherever they want so long as they're not moving into impassible terrain.  Issue is that if it dies, anything within d6" takes an S4 AP1 hit, which can total any mobs nearby.
**'''Alternate Opinion:''' Transcendent C'Tan are brutal. They can deep-strike, allowing them to disregard the meh range of their Powers. Sure, the powers are random, but 4 out of 6 are horde-killers, so you know what to point it at (though rolling Time's Arrow against a Wraithknight would be worth the gamble). IF anything is left standing, they can then try to assault the nice T7, 4++, 5W creature with Eternal Warrior, which is pretty tough to do considering Writhing Worldscape makes terrain around them difficult. If they don't bind it in combat, it gets to blast another unit to cinders and then charge an opportune target.
(It is worth noting that the Transcendent C'Tan from the Apocalypse/Escalation books are considered Lords of War and the Transcendent C'Tan from the Necrons Codex is considered a Heavy Support, both sources are still legal and are different entries even though they share the same name. At the most this is a technicality that needs to be FAQed, but for all intents and purposes both could be fielded).
** Update: Games Workshop facebook has stated if a model has two different rules both rule sets are legal.

*'''Sentry Pylon (Forge World)''' - Fully autonomous artillery with three options: a 2 shot S10 AP1 melta pieplate, A death ray like the one on the doomscythe but that hits all models under the line TWICE and a 2 shot lascannon with Skyfire, Interceptor and 120" of range and Gauss for those pesky AV 16 models. With 3 wounds, 3+ armor and T7 it's also pretty tough. These can be taken in units of three, which will get expensive but you get quite a bit of firepower for the points.  A trio of Pylons with Gauss Exterminators will make short work of enemy Helldrakes, will leave you less reliant on your own fliers for anti-air and can double as anti-tank artillery, but has only two shots per turn and still has problems with cover. On the other hand, the Focused Death Ray will deny huge amounts of territory to your enemy's units but actually hitting lots of models is more difficult than it sounds and does not discern between friend and foe, and the Heat Cannon is immensely powerful but relatively short ranged. You can give them either It Will Not Die to make them irritatingly resilient or Deep Strike for surprise buttsex (combine with Heat Cannon for pseudo-Mawloc/Breaching Drill shenanigans).
**'''Alternate Opinion:''' Since the combination of Skyfire/Interceptor no longer works, the Exterminator is only good for Flyers and Skimmers, but boy does it get that job done. The Heat Cannon is the most costly option, but rightfully so. 36" + Melta + Two Shots + potential Deep Strike is the stuff Baneblades have nightmares about and if there's no tank left to melt, you have a great honking Fuck You against all those T5 FnP/Multi-Wound elite infantry units (Plague Marines, Obliterators, Biker Nobs). The Death Ray is extremely unreliable, though. You pick a starting point and THEN you roll how long the line will be, which means you may end up rolling too many inches, forcing you to swerve off course to avoid destroying your own stuff. Wait for an update to get this in line with the Doom Scythe Death Ray.

*'''Tesseract Ark (Forge World)''' - An AV 13 as per the new Quantum Shielding Rules.  Dammit, GW.(Think about this, they changed the rule to simply make your AV 13. ONLY this model is affected by that change.)) barge with a really cool piece of swag. 5++, all units trying to assault or ram must take a dangerous terrain test and you can also shoot with it, with three different modes: Plasma Destroyer with a fancy name to kindly tell Gay Knights and TEQs to go fuck themselves, Fleshbane AP3 flamer to evaporate  Marines and any fool that gets too close and an underpowered S5 AP4 mini death-ray that that slows you down (And is also Armorbane, which might be good for killing lines of light vehicles). Also, two Gauss or Tesla Cannons or Particle Beamers for dakka overload. 50 points more than a Monolith, and oh so worth it. Just be careful with your back armor. Once your Quantum Shielding goes away, this thing is pretty much dead.
**'''Alternate Opinion:''' Never take the Particle Beamers as they are overcosted. As soon as you think it's time is up, drive it as close to the enemy as possible, because it has quite a good chance of going bang very enthusiastically under certain conditions. Also, the Beam mode of the gun is wonderful since it is basically a Beam power with 24" of range. Telekinesis' Primaris can seriously limitenemy movement with an 18" Strikedown beam, but this one is 6 more inches long. Sure, you won't be popping anything better than transports with it, but used right it's devastating. The Fleshbane Flamer, though hampered by Flamer range, is amazingly strong and best used when trying to provoke the opponent into blowing it up and the Not-a-Plasma Destroyer should be the main reason you use this thing. Also note that the Gravitational Flux forces disordered charges on models assaulting the Ark. That means no +1A bonus, no Rage bonus, no Hatred bonus and no Furious Charge bonus. And AV13 means Krak Grenades can't even glance it. In Melee, it takes a Carnifex to crack this thing open.

*'''[[Night Shroud|Night Shroud Bomber]] (Forge World)''' - AV12 all round, 4HP, 5 bombs, S10, AP1, Large Blast, Blind, Pinning. Also a Tesla Destructor. 225pts. Seems good? Seems good. People scream op at the bombs, but really they'll likely be about as effective as the death ray. What you're really paying for is the extra durability.  Despite the S10 these bombers are much better at reducing elite infantry than stopping heavier vehicles (that's the doom scythe's job), but don't let that stop you from striking targets of opportunity.  Shred the enemy's dedicated anti-air and the extra armor will keep you flying around all game long.

===Lords of War===
*'''[[Imotekh the Stormlord]]''' - The traditional (he's now just under price of a Monolith) named hero unit that used to be an HQ and must now be LoW. At first glance, he looks fantastic, but most of his abilities are mediocre. Imotekh comes with a 2+ armour save, 4+ invuln save, IWND, and a Gauntlet of Fire. Oh and the Staff of Destroyer, which is a S6, AP2 Staff of Light! IMPORTANT NOTE HERE: Until it has been FAQed he has no close combat weapon making his attacks S5 AP-, as a result he is useless in assault. He can make Flayed Ones re-roll deep strikes, which would be great if you could assault after deep striking, but as things stand, dropping next to any unit will just ensure that they die during your opponent's next turn because Flayed Ones can't into shooting. (With the new reanimation saves, especially the across the board 4+ in a decurion and especially with a solar staff Destroyer Lord, a full squad of these guys wont be so easy to mow down. If nothing else a 20 man blob of robot zombies jumping in the middle of his army could be a good enough Distraction Carnifex for you to get your guns into that glorious 24" range). One of his more useful abilities is to always start the game with night fighting turned on, and once per game, every enemy within 48" of this guy will get shot on a 5+ and take d6 S6 AP- hits of lightning, though this shouldn't be relied on to remove a mob.  He has at least dropped a couple of points.

*'''Pylon''' - A Super Heavy artillery piece. Great for putting holes in other Super Heavies with 3 S D AP2 shots that have incredibly long range (LOL WHAT BANEBLADES!?). Three of these can pretty much wreck a mech army in one turn. Now you see a healthy Leman Russ company, now you see nine smoking wrecks. They are unparalleled tank destroyers. And that's just the icing on the cake! With Armor 14 and the living metal rule, they are a bitch to kill. Their teleportation lets them be where they need to in a snap, their special effects are just sweet, and they allow you to use some really overpowered formations (5+ invulnerable saves for your whole army... your enemies can weep now.) And if anything gets close? No problem, it has a flux arc mode that fires 2D6 S6 AP3 shots. All that with Skyfire with interceptor, too.
**Warzone: Damnos ass raped the pylon, adding 95 points to the cost and removing the interceptor special rule, meaning it's now just extremely overqualified flak-cannon, though you can use the alternative (read: better) rules from IAA:third edition, unless you're playing Damnos campaign (why would you?).
*** Even the FW ones suck now too, as 7th edition no longer has interceptor remove skyfire's inability to target ground units. Enjoy your overpriced flyer-killer!
****In an edition where Eldar Wave Serpent spam is prevalent and Skyfire allows you to target skimmers at full ballistic skill, the pylon is rape incarnate against skimmer and flyer heavy lists. Combine with a Doomsday Ark to obliterate the units that spill out of wrecked transports. Have fun drinking your opponents' tears.
*****I contacted Forgeworld considering the Skyfire + Interceptor change. The customer support suggests to house rule it 6th edition style while they send the query to the rules team. Will update if I hear more.

*'''Obelisk''' - 300 points for BS4, Armor 14 all-around and 6 hull points on a Super-heavy Skimmer, alongside Deep Strike and Living Metal (Plus new living metal gives this thing a 6+ IWND). Its main guns are four Tesla spheres who shoot at S7 AP- Assault 5 Tesla(duh), even better, cheaper and tougher than three Annihilation Barges. But then you remember, wasn't this just described as an anti-air vehicle? It doesn't even have Skyfire! But then you read its special rule Gravity Pulse: ALL enemy Flyers and Skimmers (and Jetbikes) within 18" must test for Dangerous Terrain <i>Move Through Cover lets you auto-pass tests, it doesn't prevent the test from happening, it is just automatically passed. Same logic here, sure FMC's have to take the test, but their MtC just makes them autopass... </i> This effectively means that you have a 36" + Obelisk's width diameter circle where your opponent will not lightly put one of his Flyers inside of. And this is not a shooting attack, so feel free to unload the Tesla spheres into nearby enemies. But wait, there's more! The Obelisk also has the rule Sleeping Sentry: allowing it to start the game in a "powered down" state where it cannot move or shoot (including Gravity Pulse), but it has a notable 3+ <b> INVULNERABLE</b> save. You can power up at the start of your Movement phase, immediately allowing for movement and shooting. This allows you to keep your relatively soft Obelisk safe while the enemy draws close.

*'''[[Tesseract Vault]]''' - Now only a vehicle with essentially BS5 for C'Tan powers (the Tesla Spheres use its base BS4), but otherwise a 550-point Superheavy Skimmer with AV14 everywhere.  While it is durable with that AV14, Living Metal, and 9 HP (with 6+ IWND), this doesn't mean that you can play this lightly (or at least as lightly as a Knight): If it dies, it always takes a Titanic Explosion, and that'll always be ruinous. So ruinous, in fact, that one player's tactic was to get the Vault WITHIN his enemies ranks. Then, they were all too scared of it blowing up to actually shoot at it.
**Note recently games workshop has stated if a model has two different stats both are legal meaning the Vault in Escalation is legal jut have to play the extra points of it.

===Fortification===
*'''Aegis Defense Line''' - Keeps your objective camping Warrior squad safe from those pesky AP4 and under weapons. Necrons are a shooty army, and unless you're up against Tau or Guard, you're going to be the one playing the defense. Upgrade-wise, your best bet is the Comms Relay, since this army typically relies on it's own fliers for anti-air, and the reserve modifiers help with getting said fliers onto the table.

*'''Imperial Bastion''' - Can be decent depending on the matchup, although if you're embarked in the building then you aren't practising the time honored strategy of "Move, Shoot, Repeat". Note that this structure is large enough to get a cover save for your monolith.

*'''Skyshield Landing Pad''' - Can be used for some interesting tricks, particularly involving the 4++ that it confers when it's folded up.
**Never. Ever. Field A Monolith with this set up. Let alone three. They are terri-bad, especially if you're just planning on having them sit there. Three Doomsday Arks on top of the Pad will be cheaper and give you more reach and fire power any day.

*'''[[Fortress of Redemption]]''' - No. You're not Imperial Guard. Your troops are not squishy enough to need to hide in this thing, and your guns have such short range that you can't afford to just sit in one spot the whole game. Besides, if you want to spend this many points on a fortification, just go the extra mile and get the Tomb Citadel.

*'''Tomb Citadel (Forge World)''' - Broken. Stupidly so. Two AV14 Structures, killed on a 5+ with a penetrating hit. One has Eternity Gate and Scarab Hive, the other gives everything (including the structures and emplacements) on it a 3++ invulnerable (does not specify Necron Units), and all Necron units on it a re-roll to RP of 1. This is ridiculous considering it is nearly 2x2 foot, so you can now reliably bunker down and NEVER DIE. It can have emplacements (up to 2) with Skyfire and Interceptor - Twin-linked Tesla Destructor for 65pts, or Gauss Exterminator for 100pts. The Fortification without the upgrades (and it can have Comms Relay for 20pts) is 300 POINTS. Give your Warriors a Lord with Resurrection Orb, stick them on here, and THEY WILL NEVER DIE.
**For maximum cheese bring the lawbringer phalanx formation, give the praetorians particle casters, then stick a lord with as res orb in each unit. be ready to catch your models as your opponent flips the table in response to your '''2+ REANIMATION, RE-ROLLING ONES!!!'''(NOTE: Sorry, new codex says RP can never be better than a 4+, but even then, a 4+ with re-roll on 1s still gives a 58.33% chance of success) remember, this thing is 2x2 feet so you can reach a pretty large area even with the praetorians crappy 12 inch range.
**It's important to note for only 200 more points, you can bring a second one. A Tomb Fortress is only 500 points, offers you a second Power Crucible, which means if for some reason the enemy wants to remove the 3++ effect, they have to burn through both of them to do so. 2 Eternity Gates. 2 Scarab Hives. It's madness for only 200 more. And then finally of course, there's the City of the Dead, but at 1500 points, you won't be bringing it at sub-5000 games. Still a fun version though, since you deploy the City anywhere on the field, oh and that whole 4x4 Fortification is considered your deployment zone. Trolltastic.