Warhammer: The Admech Solution - Coming Soon?

Players piloting the Martian brethren of the Adeptus Mechanicus are at an all-time low — wracked with middling army rules, points racing to the bottom, and an overall malaise of unfulfillment in their 10th edition iteration, these cyborgs need some help.  Luckily, there’s hope close on the horizon, and perhaps closer than those players think.

As someone who’s only started the army in 10th edition, with a penchant for playing bad armies well, I understand but don’t share in the frustration.  The tools are there for Admech to perform well, but we’re missing a few crucial pieces to push the army over the top.  Luckily, coming from two corroborating sources is a set of leaks concerning the upcoming balance pass, aiming to resolve the flaws in the army.  At this point, it’s do or die, so let’s dig into the hopeful future of Admech.

Via Archeron

First, the leaks summarized:

• Changes to Doctrina Imperatives:
• Protector: Ranged Weapons get Heavy, Improve BS by 1, and Battleline are -1 to be hit in melee, as well as units with Doctrina Imperatives within 6” of Battleline or Cawl.
• Conqueror: Ranged Weapons get Assault, Improve WS by 1, and Battleline are -1AP (Assumed in Melee only), as well as units with Doctrina Imperatives within 6” of Battleline or Cawl.
• Cawl can now move through walls.

This was provided by players from 2 different Nationals teams, who have in the past been a testbed for rule changes by GW.  Obviously, it’s important to take this with a grain of salt, as it practically checks every wishlist box an Admech player could have, but it’s not unheard of to provide such a sweeping fix to a faction in ruin.  Drukhari are a great example, receiving an entire detachment tailor-made for them because Realspace Raiders was that bad.

Via Goonhammer

With the very lenient assumption these leaks are correct, I’d like to dig into their potential impact in the meta at large.  First and foremost, this gets Admech shooting back into the realm of base 3+, something that’s been clamored-for since 10th first dropped.  Admech have historically been an army which readily accesses 3+ shooting, and even 2+ for single Battle Rounds, so going to 4+ base with Heavy being the only means to offset it was upsetting for an otherwise relatively mobile faction.  Furthermore, these rules manage to steer the army in a direction it was already going: Battleline above all.  Much of the codex is buffed by being around Battleline units, and Vanguard are quietly one of the faction’s best units, so it only makes sense to further reinforce this identity.

Via Deviantart

In terms of the biggest winners, perhaps the largest of all is Infiltrators, combining with Skitarii Hunter Cohort to be at a constant -1 to be hit, alongside Stealth & Cover on top of a 5+ Feel No Pain for 1 CP.  Vanguard as well are big winners, and lists that were running fewer than 60 total Skitarii, between Vanguard & Rangers, would need to hard pivot into our troop base.  This would have immediate benefit, as with the provided buffs enough 10 man troops provides a swath of Ranged firepower that can cripple vehicles and characters.

If you have 4-6 Skitarii available to shoot, splitting their special weapon fire into Vehicles (for Plasma & Arc) and Characters (for Arquebus) respectively, the damage you deal can truly rack up.  That’s nothing to say of their solid 3 attack Anti-Infantry 4+ gun, or their ability to muck up combat with an Aura of -1OC and -1 to be hit.  Vanguard look to be a powerhouse, and not a quiet one.

Via Reddit

The losers from this set of changes, however, are rather obvious — Electro-Priests.  With no Doctrina and no way to gain these benefits, unless we see a profile update, I imagine the shocking infantry will be left aside for the time being.

Carrying on, Cohort Cybernetica come out as big winners from these changes, with the Kastelans becoming melee juggernauts on their own, and Skorpius Disintegrators being able to surround Cawl for the full benefit.  One rather potent combination in any detachment is going to involve Lord Inquisitor Kyria Draxus, and a Dunerider.  If the rules benefit the unit as a whole, she’ll become a Damage 2 shooting menace, and your boats will almost always be in range to receive the benefit of the Battleline bonus.

Reining our expectations back in just a bit, it’s not impossible that these leaks were playtest material, or worse yet, will come alongside point updates to balance the faction out.  To many, this would be a good thing, as Admech is without a doubt the most expensive army to collect in 40k, but in reality the army is heavily reliant on stacking up a critical mass of Battleline to make its other toolbox units more useful.

This is even moreso after the changes, where not only do units want nearby Battleline for their personal rules, but for the Doctrinas as well.  That means most of your linchpin units, like Breacher bombs, Sterylizors, and Infiltrators, require a “tax” of Battleline with them, and often those Battleline are going to consider a Dunerider.  Given most lists already in Rad-Zone or Skitarii Hunter Cohort are taking a minimum of 60-80 Battleline, any changes to their points will have profound effects on the army as a whole.

Aside from the changes coming in any presumptions or leaks, Pariah Nexus is looking to favor the Admech in many ways, especially with the change to Bring it Down.  Bring it Down was one of the major means to shut out an Admech player who was focusing on one of the best things the army does: Massed “Chickens”, or Dragoons.  Each model, usually anywhere from 9-18, would provide a means to max out a fixed BiD, resulting in the Admech player punching up in terms of scoring, something they already struggled to do.

Now, BiD is scored based on units, and taking 2-man squads of any flavor of Chicken is 14 wounds, under the cap to score additional BiD points.  This means 3x2 Dragoons with Lances is an instant staple this season, and I’d argue it’s difficult to justify not taking a unit with such a negligible opportunity cost, and high durability for points.  On the whole, things are just looking altogether up for Admech, with a great Season ahead of us, and potentially an army-fixing change coming this month!

Via A Miniature Odyssey

With that, I’ll be looking to the horizon to see what GW gives our beloved cog-brothers!  I’m hopeful that a fix is coming soon, and frankly I’d be overjoyed with the leak!  Let me know what you think Games Workshop should do in the comments below, and if this leak is real!