Necron Observations, my take on the droids we really were looking for....

Well, it HAS been a while since I have posted anything gaming related. I have been busy in the real world recently as my last post will attest to. The following LIST is a quick hit of ideas and thoughts about the 'crons. I have had a necron army since the dawn of 4th edition, and this release has been long awaited.

1. The Stormlord has potential, but not in any old list. He MUST have the army built around him. His storm cripples his own armies shooting as much as his opponents.
2. Wraiths are the defacto COUNTER-assault unit in the book. They are the only unit with potential to counter the necron low initiative problems.
3. If I were a Space Wolf or Blood Angels player who just spent a ton of money on razorbacks and rhinos, I would be PISSED about scarabs....
4. The Triarch Stalkers look like a crazy good dreadnought to me. In the long run they might replace wraiths as they buff necron shooting, and can tarpit infantry due to rear armor 11.
5. I want to like the  Lychguard and Preatorians, but I just can't. s7 is nice, and so is an invulnerable save, but you need to be fast enough to make use of it or not have something better suited in the same role for less cost. (see point 4)
6. The flyers intrigue me, and I am not afraid of the weaker armor...I play Dark Eldar for goodness sakes. They are a really nice blend of DE skimmers and the Vendetta/Valkyrie in the IG book. Until I see an official model, im sticking to what I have.
7. I think this book threw us a curve....a big one. We (the internet blog o' sphere) were looking for characters to move the codex direction to different builds. Instead we got Crypteks...which IMHO are what drive builds in this codex. I think the use, or lack of use, of Crypteks will be what changes effective builds in this codex. Thematically the Crypteks open different abilities that alter the units needed to pull different combos, and I think this book is all about that.
8. Doomsday arks....yeah I want to but....its like Space Marine vindicators all over again. You either take 3 or don't take them at all. That gun also needs to fit in the army build as the models are not cheap in point cost, or easy on the wallet.
9. Really GW? Scarabs as the best tank busters in the game? Not that I mind, but seriously, a unit everyone wants and the only way to get it is in the troop choice we all have 50 of all ready...and to those buying 5 bases for $40 on e-bay....WOW, I'm not sure they are THAT good...
10. Overlords....Hmmm, GW you spends several pages of fluff talking about how these are the only units in the Necron race that still retain any real portion of their original personality, and then make their gear selection bland, and stats weak. This is the place we should see the most customization in the list, not the piece we have to buy to get the customizable units....

Ok, I did do a bit of grumbling, but I see so many viable builds I want to try. I see a scarab carpet, a wraith wing, a flayed one horde, a tank army, a teleporting wonder list, an all infantry marching wall of doom, an airforce....and the list goes on. While I stand firmly  in the 3++ camp on the power level of this book (we havent really seen it yet), I feel it can be very strong in my local scene.