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

==={{W40kKeyword|[[Mars]]}}===
[[File:Mars2.png|100px|left]] In the grim darkness of the far future, only faith in the machine will save us.

Thematically, Mars is the exemplar. The first and holiest forgeworld, the heart of the entire Adeptus Mechanicus.<br>
Crunchwise, while some forgeworlds are defined by the gimmicks that differentiate them from the red planet, Mars itself focuses on what differentiates the Adeptus Mechanicus from other factions: your Canticles and sheer firepower.

''Make your enemies kneel before the glory of the Omnissiah with prayer and Martian Might!''
 
<tabs>
<tab name ="Forge World Dogma">
'''Masters of the Forge:'''  {{W40kKeyword|Skitarii}} units receive the Canticles of the Omnissiah. Whenever a unit shoots or fights, they can re-roll one hit roll. Not bad, as it can at least grant a bit of freedom from the magi.
*The first bit is overwhelmingly important and puts the focus on Mars as the best Forge World. Canticles are powerful and only Mars allows their best units access to them.
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<tab name = "Warlord Trait">
'''Panegyric Procession (Tech-Priest Only):''' During the command phase, you can pick one {{W40kKeyword|Mars Cult Mechanicus Core}} unit within 6" of the warlord. For this turn, they and the warlord both can benefit from a canticle (this can be any canticle, including one already used) that is separate from the rest of the army.
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<tab name = Stratagem>
'''Wrath of Mars (1/2 CP, Battle Tactic):''' Use this before a {{W40kKeyword|MARS}} unit in your army attacks in the shooting phase. Each time you roll an unmodified 6 to-wound, the target suffers a mortal wound in addition to any other damage. Costs 1 CP for a unit with a Power Rating of 10-, and 2 CP if the unit's PR 11+. 
*Combo with Protector Imperatives and/or Cawl/Dominus/Exemplar's Eternity Marshal (with the final one working best) for sharper cheddar.
**For Rangers, you'll need 27 shooters to on average deal the maximum 6 mortal wounds base; that reduces to 21.6 with Protector up, 18 with GVF up, and 14.4 with both.  The Cawl/Dominus aura multiplies that by 6/7 and Exemplar's Eternity multiplies it by 6/7 twice (i.e. x36/49), so with GVF, PI, and Exemplar's Eternity, you get all the way down to 10.58, i.e. 10 is enough to get to nearly 6 on average.
**For Vanguard, you get more shots base without needing GVF, but that's slightly deceptive because on a 6 to hit you're forced to auto-wound, which prevents the mortal wound from this strat. Baseline that means Vanguard are better than Rangers at this strat, but Galvanic Volley Fire makes the Rangers better, as at that point they're strictly better, since 6s to wound still let them deal mortal wounds.
**Also amazing with Flechette Blasters - you only need 10.8 of these ''base'' and it gets better from there, so 170 points of Skystalker is plenty for your needs - and Sulphurhounds, where you need 7.45 base and 6.97 with PI up.  In fact, Sulphurhounds are your most efficient delivery method for this strat.
*Another option is Corpuscarii Electropriests, given their high volume of shots and their taser effect - they're actually more efficient than Skystalkers base, although not under PI.
*Quite bad with Kastelans, due to their cost per shot, even with combustors and dual blasters.  
</tab>
<tab name = Relic>
'''The Red Axe:''' Replaces an Omnissian Axe (so Enginseers and Domini only), vastly increasing its AP and A: S+2 AP-5 D2 and gives 3 additional attacks per swing. Looks scary, but armour saves can only be lowered so much before reaching an invuln or reducing all the way to no save, with additional penetration wasted. In the weird event you wanted to upgrade the melee of a Martian Enginseer or Dominus, you'd be a ''lot'' better off with Anzion's Pseudogenetor.
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<tab name = "Special Character">
'''[[Belisarius Cawl]]:''' Unfortunately, the once staple of every Mars list back in 8th edition and post Engine War has fallen drastically from grace in the new codex. Where he used to grant full rerolls to everything around him has now been replaced by only rerolling 1s and picking a single unit for free rerolls. His ability to manipulate your canticles into you gaining two you wanted practically every turn has now been changed to picking a single unit to benefit from another canticle aside from the one already active. His melee and damage output has gotten buffed, but that nowhere near offsets the nerfs he has gotten within the new codex. He thankfully doe now cost a new and much more reasonable 160 Points from the previous 180. In addition to the other recent points drops that Mechanicus got recently, it makes taking Cawl far less of a hassle if you do decide to take him with you considering what he does offer
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<tab name = Tactics>
'''Cawl's Moving Castle:''' Basically a continuation of the most viable 8th edition Index build. Big daddy Cawl and a whole bunch of Kastelans set to Protector mode. You can switch protocols in turn one now, via the '''Binaric Override''' Stratagem. Combine it with the '''Wrath of Mars''' Stratagem to delete whatever unit is in front of you off the table with 9 re-rollable S6 cover-ignoring AP-2 shots that deal mortal wounds on To-Wound rolls of 6 per model. 
'''Mars' Infiltrator Ambush:''' This combo relies on a 10-man squad of infiltrators with blasters and the '''Wrath of Mars''' Stratagem. Normally, 50 str 3, ap - shots aren't very impressive, but the pseudo-rend effect granted by the stratagem can prove to be a nasty shock for the unprepared. To top it off, most opponents familiar with Ad mech won't be expecting such an alpha strike in a non-Lucius list. Also applicable with a large brick of Serberys Raiders, as they already deal mortals on 6s, making Wrath of Mars deal 2 mortal wounds per wound roll of 6. Plus, this can target characters!
'''The Ballistarii Party:''' Lascannon Ironstrider Ballistarii are already extremely undercosted and overpowered right now, so let's make them even fucking better. Get a Mars Outrider Detachment and get three squads of 2-3 each to maximize the effienceny of the free reroll you get. Canticles being granted to them allows you access to Shroudpsalm to weather some return fire if you're anticipating your opponent to catch them outside of obscuring terrain, and Benediction of the Omnessiah to give those units another free hit reroll, a wound reroll, and a damage reroll. Within Mars, your laschickens will delete practically anything they see and for a very affordable price.
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