Editing Warhammer 40,000/9th Edition Tactics/Adeptus Mechanicus (section)

===Troops===

===={{W40Kkeyword|Skitarii}}====
In 9th edition, objective control is paramount to victory, more than it ever was now with non-scattering deepstrikes and double-fights to pile in multiple units. Enter reliable and spammable Skitarii, who are now back in force. Literally, as the new Codex allows each standard Ranger or Vanguard squad to have up to 20 dudes at 9 points a pop. Unlike your regular Imperial GEQ, their 4+/5++ give these T3 dudes a chance of survival, and they're cheap enough that they can be used to control the field while your other units, like the much heavier and damaging Cult Mechanicus troops, clean up said field. Despite their status as light mortal infantry, they carry enough BS3+ firepower that it matters. 

Unfortunately, 9th edition nerfed the number/type of special weapons they can take per squad. If the squad has 9 models or less, you only get one special weapon of your choice. For every 10 models in the squad, you can have one of each. Frankly speaking, if you're looking to take a squad for these weapons (like the Transuranic Arquebus), you're better just running MSU squads to keep it cost-effective, especially if you plan on using transports to putter them about the field.
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<tab name="Skitarii Rangers">
*'''[[Skitarii]] Rangers:'''  Their 30" Galvanic Rifles have enough range to contribute to fights and the S4 needed to be a bother, which makes this squad great at garrisoning backfield objectives and ruins.  Note that their guns are worse than Rad Carbines in most ways, but the exact differences depend on many factors; for example, Galvanic Rifles scale with BS better than Rad Carbines do.  Against MEQ, a base Galvanic Rifle deals 12/36 of a wound, and with +1 to hit goes to 15/36.  Radium Carbines against the same target do 12/36 and 14/36, respectively.  However, being Heavy 30" instead of Assault 18" makes them much better at laying down fire from the backline.  Also helpful is their ability to move at the beginning of the game, putting them in an ideal position immediately. All in all great value from the cheapest unit in your army. Unless you are sitting on backfield objectives, Vanguard are usually better.
**Transuranic Arquebi are ''the'' special weapon this squad should take, as if you're taking rangers they should be backfield and their awesome 60" range doesn't waste Galvanic Rifle range as the other guns do, and with actual stats (S7 AP-1 D1d3) on top of regular sniper rules there will always be targets of opportunity for them to attack. Dealing 2D to vehicles, even flyers, from your deployment zone isn't too hard to do, and is actually pretty comfy coming from a troop unit whose job would usually be to just stand back and bodyblock rear line deepstrikers. However, you need a surprisingly high number of these to consistently snipe characters.
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<tab name="Skitarii Vanguard">
*'''[[Skitarii]] Vanguard:''' Vanguard are your Skitarii frontliners. Their 18" Assault 3 Rad Carbines let them advance and still hit on a 4+. '''These guys auto wound on nat 6s to hit non-vehicles which can be buffed to a nat 4+ to hit with a strat.''' 
**With that strat, these guys get disgusting: assuming 20 vanilla vanguard, you've got 60 S3 shots, with a potential 30 auto-wounds at best for 2CP a pop.
** Put them with a Marshal for re-rolls, or give them the Manipulus buff for AP-1, and there just aren't a lot of things that want to make 30 AP-2 saving throws... with their Rad saturation aura (-1T is better than +1S), they can also help as melee soup support to Sicarians and Electropriests.
**''Always'' grab Plasma Calivers with these dudes as your first special weapons pick.  If you kick up to a larger unit, then and only then reach for Arc Rifles, as they don't synergise well with the basic carbines the unit sports. NEVER take the Transuranic Arquebus with these guys; it's designed for backline sniping, and these guys will be up front.
**The custom forgeworlds and new warlord traits massively buff vanguard, especially boosting AP. The Rad-Saturated FW's triple firing S4 AP1 is pretty nasty on its own, and gets even nastier (if a touch expensive) when you bring in stuff like the Manipulus' AP-1 buff or the nat 5+ mortals stratagem.
**Unlike Rangers, Vanguard find themselves in melee more often. It's worth noting that you can upgrade the alphas, but with only 2 attacks and a 4+ WS it won't do much. However, as of now, all weapons are free on Alphas, and melee weapons don't replace anything. Just don't forget to magnetize those hands, because good things like free upgrades never last.
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===={{W40Kkeyword|Cult Mechanicus}}====
Kataphrons are the big guys of the Cult Mechanicus are closer to tankettes than they are to people: their Ogryn-sized T5 frames make them difficult to remove from an objective, and with W3 your HQs can actually repair them. Their long-ranged firepower doesn't suffer the penalty for moving, since they're {{W40Kkeyword|Biker}}s that ignore Breachable terrain like infantry, beasts, and swarms do. ''Great'' firepower coming from Troop units, and very easily buffed by your mostly-shooty HQ section.

'''Jokes on you, the Q1 2023 Balance Dataslate gives Kataphrons the {{W40kKeyword|Core}} keyword, this changes everything about them.'''
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<tab name="Kataphron Destroyers">
*'''Kataphron Destroyers:''' Dedicated anti-MEQ gunships. Though well-protected against small arms (3+/6++), they are a prime target for your enemy so they have to be defended. Park them in cover with a Dominus and they can turn it into a miniature bunker with a good bit of firepower.
**'''Guns:''' 
***Heavy Grav Cannons are reliable; 30" Heavy ''5'' S5 AP-3 D1 deletes weaker targets, and D2 against anything with a 3+ save melts heavy infantry and can even dent monsters and tanks.
***Kataphron Plasma Culverins cost more: 36" Heavy 1d6 S7 AP-3 D1, Blast and can Overcharge for S8 and D2, but 1s to hit deal the shooter a mortal wound.  
****Only ever worth it if you fire them in Overcharge mode, and even then, remember you're sinking a lot of points into BS4+ dakka here. Furthermore, against most targets, the heavy grav-cannon outperforms the culverin simply due to costs - the culverin makes the model cost 25% more for usually less than 25% more dakka, even ignoring the mortal wounds you suffer.
**'''Sidearms:''' Their Phosphor Blasters are the budget option to use against targets of opportunity. However, Cognis Flamers are ''radically'' more damage per point against everything in the game if the target is within 12".
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<tab name="Kataphron Breachers">
*'''Kataphron Breachers:''' Trades some firepower for 2+ armour but, most importantly, ''at discount price''. Enough to be heavy speedbumps yet disposable. Breachers bring 9W for 105pts and their Heavy Arc rifles  (36" Heavy 2 S6 AP-2 D2) are not only basically anti-infantry autocannons, but also tear D3 chunks out of vehicles and autowound them on 4+, so they can even help your overworked Onagers. Unlike Destroyers, Breachers aren't defenseless in combat, with four WS4+ attacks using Arc Claws (S6 AP-3 D1/D2 vs vehicles). With those stats, they are a screen by themselves. If you NEED an objective to be positively, absolutely defended, activate '''Acquisition at Any Cost''' and they'll be very difficult to remove, with ''4A'' and a 2+/5++ save. (Alternate take if supported by vanguard S6 Ap-1 still wounds marines on 2's and a unit of 6 will kill 3.75 tac marines) their not gonna touch a dedicated melee unit but can still give a bad day to enemy troops or small characters) and now we have unlimited warlord traits prime hermeticon increases their melee output by 50%
**Torsion Cannons are hard to defend. S8 AP-4 is nice but they cost a lot, ''are single-shot'' and D1d3+3 is all it provides. Likewise, Hydraulic Claws are like power fists...but with only AP-2 instead of the AP-3 of Arc claws they will struggle to go through their targets' armour Sv, and Breachers aren't ''dedicated'' melee units, could throw one into maybe kill Vehicles and Monsters in melee.
**Agripinaa breachers are really strong if you have a huge amount of CP as a 6 man squad can potentially bring 5 back from the dead and relocate if just one survives. Which considering their tankiness is quite possible. Do this a few times and count the firepower you've soaked.
***The clue is in the name for these guys though; the above chap is absolutely correct in his analysis for the average game, but GW covers bases for more narrative games too: Fortifications & other Immobile units are auto-hit so when you need to <i>breach</i> through some Fortifications you have at least 9 S10 -2 AP auto-hitting hydraulic claws vs the S6 of arcs, and that's 9 lots of 3+ rolls instead of iffy 5+.
**** In 9th edition this is staple unit for holding objective for a turn, something that Skitarii realistically cannot do. Keep them below 6 count and they will give you a relatively cheap and tough scoring unit that is needed sorely for narrative and matched games.
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<tab name = Notes>
*It's worth noting that these puppies can be a huge fire magnet. A smart opponent will point medium weaponry at these guys and frankly, they're not quite as tough as they seem. Point efficiency and multiple wounds don't mean a lot when a punisher cannon can delete a 3 man squad in one round of shooting. 
*To compensate, provide them with the Stygies VIII Dogma or Agripinaa's stratagem to increase their survivability considerably.
*Or take as Ryza plasma destroyers hoping you'll play a knight list and can make your points back in one round of shooting accepting there won't be a second round.
*Or Lucius and deepstrike them in guaranteeing destroyers one round of fire.
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