Poll: Iron Daemon War Engine vs. K'daai Destroyer
Mar 19, 2019 6:11:28 GMT
grandmasterwang likes this
Post by NIGHTBRINGER on Mar 19, 2019 6:11:28 GMT
The idea of these polls is to compare two similar Chaos Dwarf units head to head. The units may be similar in terms of function, unit type, battlefield roll, etc. The objective is to compare the units in terms of game play performance. So try not to include aesthetic, lore/fluff or model preferences in your decision. Simply which of the two units would you most often choose if you were building a competitive list?
Iron Daemon War Engine vs. K'daai Destroyer
Here we have the battle of the big boys. For my analysis I will assume that the Iron Daemon has the Hellbound upgrade, which brings it closely inline with the K'daai Destroyer in terms of points cost (310 vs. 325). I'm also going to assume that the ID does not have the Skullcracker upgrade. This is for my analysis only, when considering the question, use whatever setup you feel is the most tactically sound.
Movement
Shooting
Survivability
In favour of the Iron Daemon:
In favour of the K'daai Destroyer:
Offensive Prowess in Close Combat
In favour of the Iron Daemon:
In favour of the K'daai Destroyer:
Major Weakness
Both of these units have one fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a savvy opponent.
The Iron Daemon does 99% of its close combat damage through impact hits and thunderstomps. If the opponent charges the ID with anything other than infantry, war beasts and swarms, the ID's offense is completely neutered and it is reduced to nothing more than an anvil (although a very solid unbreakable anvil).
The fundamental flaw of the K'daai Destroyer is its Flaming Attacks special rule. If an opponent can get a character with a Dragonhelm or Dragonbane Gem into the Destroyer, they enjoy a very potent 2+ ward save. There are a few other units as well that have protection against flaming, but these are usually slower than the Destroyer and not as worrisome as the two magic items listed above.
Overall I feel that the Destroyer's weakness is a bit harder to exploit. There are simply more units that can neuter the ID than the Destroyer. A simple eagle can fly in and hold up the ID for quite some time. In contrast, you really only have to look out for characters with the Destroyer and it has M9 to help do so. Plus not all characters will have one of those items in an all comers list. A Daemon Prince with a Dragonbane Gem will mess up your day real fast though!
OVERALL
In some ways the two are similar and in other ways they are very much different. Some of this will come down to play-style and army composition. The ID makes for a pure unbreakable [no unstable rule] anvil, but the Destroyer can dish out far more damage in a protracted combat. Personally (and only theoretically mind you), I'd give the edge to the Destroyer for the following reasons:
However, I concede that the ID has different attributes and uses that the Destroyer does not. I'll be very curious to hear what you guys think about this match up.
Also, as grandmasterwang points out, the ID is a special choice while the Destroyer is a rare choice. This might weigh in on your choice depending on what else you wish to field in your army.
Vote and discuss!
Iron Daemon War Engine vs. K'daai Destroyer
Here we have the battle of the big boys. For my analysis I will assume that the Iron Daemon has the Hellbound upgrade, which brings it closely inline with the K'daai Destroyer in terms of points cost (310 vs. 325). I'm also going to assume that the ID does not have the Skullcracker upgrade. This is for my analysis only, when considering the question, use whatever setup you feel is the most tactically sound.
Movement
- This advantage clearly goes to the K'daai Destroyer, at M9 it has an impressive 18" march. The ID on the other hand only has M6 and if it wishes to march (6 + 2d6) it is both random in distance and forces it to travel in a straight line. So the K'daai is both faster and more maneuverable.
Shooting
- This one is pretty simple, the ID can shoot [0, 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 shots at S6 AP multiple wounds (d3)] and the K'daai Destroyer cannot shoot at all. Clear and decisive advantage to the Iron Daemon.
Survivability
In favour of the Iron Daemon:
- T8 (Destroyer only has T6)
- 8 wounds (Destroyer only has 6)
- No unstable rule!
- Does not self harm (Destroyer has the Burning Bright rule)
- 3+ armour save is better against strength 3 or below
- not subject to being pulled out of position due to Frenzy
In favour of the K'daai Destroyer:
- Non-magical attacks must re-roll successful wounds
- 4+ Ward save is better than a 3+ armour save against attacks of S5+ and ones that ignore armour [protection from cannons, Searing Doom, HKB, etc]
- Better weapon skill in combat
- 2+ ward save against flaming attacks [once again, great protection against many war machines which are flaming]
- much better against initiative tests (I5 vs I2) [pit of shades, purple sun, etc.]
Offensive Prowess in Close Combat
In favour of the Iron Daemon:
- D6+2 S8 impact hits!!
- Better Thunderstomp [S8 vs. S7]
In favour of the K'daai Destroyer:
- S4 auto hit against all enemies in base contact [and it has a mighty large base]
- far superior in terms of "regular" attacks (ID only has the crew's 3 WS4 S3 attacks, the Destroyer has a very impressive set of 7-9 WS5 S7 attacks)
- ignores regeneration saves
Major Weakness
Both of these units have one fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a savvy opponent.
The Iron Daemon does 99% of its close combat damage through impact hits and thunderstomps. If the opponent charges the ID with anything other than infantry, war beasts and swarms, the ID's offense is completely neutered and it is reduced to nothing more than an anvil (although a very solid unbreakable anvil).
The fundamental flaw of the K'daai Destroyer is its Flaming Attacks special rule. If an opponent can get a character with a Dragonhelm or Dragonbane Gem into the Destroyer, they enjoy a very potent 2+ ward save. There are a few other units as well that have protection against flaming, but these are usually slower than the Destroyer and not as worrisome as the two magic items listed above.
Overall I feel that the Destroyer's weakness is a bit harder to exploit. There are simply more units that can neuter the ID than the Destroyer. A simple eagle can fly in and hold up the ID for quite some time. In contrast, you really only have to look out for characters with the Destroyer and it has M9 to help do so. Plus not all characters will have one of those items in an all comers list. A Daemon Prince with a Dragonbane Gem will mess up your day real fast though!
OVERALL
In some ways the two are similar and in other ways they are very much different. Some of this will come down to play-style and army composition. The ID makes for a pure unbreakable [no unstable rule] anvil, but the Destroyer can dish out far more damage in a protracted combat. Personally (and only theoretically mind you), I'd give the edge to the Destroyer for the following reasons:
- MUCH better movement
- its fundamental weakness is harder to exploit (although frenzy can be an issue)
- it has more protection from cannons and initiative test spells (either of which will decimate the ID in very short order)
However, I concede that the ID has different attributes and uses that the Destroyer does not. I'll be very curious to hear what you guys think about this match up.
Also, as grandmasterwang points out, the ID is a special choice while the Destroyer is a rare choice. This might weigh in on your choice depending on what else you wish to field in your army.
Vote and discuss!
