[Theoryhammer] Molten Crown 2026 Season | Tourneycrons 3.1

Molten Crown III was probably the last hurrah for the Hypercrypt Legion, outside of big Crusade encounters. I don't want to burn out on my favourite detachment, and I do want to play around with some different toys, tech, and approaches. I am also a bit sick of losing my focus and teleporting a unit off an objective before I can score it, because I need it to remove an asset somewhere else. 

I wrote a whole post in which I reviewed the list, examined each unit on the basis of whether it was both Cool and Good, explained my choice of new detachment, and talked through the new list. I did this before Grotmas, when I was fresh off the back of the previous event, and thought "I'll post it in the New Year when things are a bit quiet, I've done the end of year review now, that's enough."

And then 500 Worlds happened. Necrons vs. Ultramarines in an end-of-the-edition abandon-all-hope riot of new, mad, experimental rules. Naturally I don't care about the Marine half of this at all, and m'colleague has described the situation with the words "ENOUGH ALREADY," but the Necron stuff?

My initial thoughts on the new detachments are straightforward enough. 

Cryptek Conclave? This is cute. I'd play it in Crusade, where I have a bunch of highly levelled Battleline infantry and Cryptek characters, and probably have a really good time. 

Pantheon of Woe? It's... not exactly my bag, I am not great with the C'tan, but Young Apprentice is going to rock this one. He frequently runs monster mash lists anyway and I bet he'll kitbash a great Transcendent.

Cursed Legion? {several minutes of maniacal laughter}

This is my jam. This is "hey, we heard you like Destroyer infantry, how about a bunch of Destroyer infantry, but also you can grandfather in any unit that an Overlord and a Cryptek can join, in a kind of greatest hits of Necron goodstuff? and if you do things with your Destroyers, your entire army goes a bit Destroyer and picks up a significant bonus!"

Now, I have already dropped a not insignificant sum of moneys on the Necron Goodstuff that doesn't appear on the secondary market (these things are sub-assembled, and you will see them when they are done, but also they're in the new list). This means I probably shouldn't rush out and buy the new Battalion box and double or triple up on all my Destroyers and add Lokhust Heavies as well.

I'm still going to play it, though.

Xenos - Necrons - Tourneycrons 3.1 - [2000 pts]

Battle Size: Strike Force (2000 Point limit)
Detachment: Cursed Legion

Hexmark Destroyer [75 pts]
Overlord [105 pts]: Warlord, Destroyer Ankh [20 pts], Resurrection orb, Voidscythe
Plasmancer [55 pts]
Plasmancer [55 pts]
Skorpekh Lord [115 pts]: Cursed Circlet [25 pts]
Technomancer [95 pts]: Murdermind [15 pts]

Immortals [150 pts]:
• 10x Immortal: Gauss blaster
Immortals [150 pts]:
• 10x Immortal: Tesla carbine

Lychguard [170 pts]:
• 10x Lychguard: Hyperphase sword and dispersion shield
Ophydian Destroyers [80 pts]: Plasmacyte
• 3x Ophydian Destroyer
Skorpekh Destroyers [180 pts]: 2x Plasmacyte
• 6x Skorpekh Destroyer

Canoptek Scarab Swarms [80 pts]:
• 6x Canoptek Scarab Swarm

Canoptek Macrocytes [85 pts]:
• 3x Canoptek Macrocyte w/ gauss scalpel
• 1x Canoptek Macrocyte w/ atomiser beam
• 1x Canoptek Macrocyte w/ accelerator mandible
Canoptek Wraiths [220 pts]:
• 6x Wraith w/ claws and particle caster

Canoptek Reanimator [75 pts]
Doomsday Ark [200 pts]
Triarch Stalker [110 pts]: Particle shredder

The Technomancer joins the Wraiths; these are screened by the Scarabs and supported by the Macrocytes, and this wave of agitated constructs picks an objective to wash over and control.

The Overlord joins the Lychguard; these are supported by the Reanimator and possibly preceded by the Stalker, and they want to occupy the centre objective, because I'm probably taking Establish Locus as a Fixed objective. 

(A Reanimator can do that every turn for an easy two points, ten across the board if it doesn't die. The Hexmark can also attempt it in the enemy deployment zone, if there's a good spot to strike him in, or take over the middle if the Reanimator needs to move off.)

The Skorpekh Lord and his big blob o' mates are supposedly "bad" because they are "hard to hide" and will "get shot." Go ahead. Shoot one. Kill one. Give them a surge move from the Cursed Circlet. They're right on top of you now.

Two units of Immortals shoot at things on objectives, and probably move up to retain control as the melee stuff moves off and pushes. These, and their attendant Plasmancers, and the Triarch Stalker, are the most liquid assets in the list. If/as/when additional toys are acquired, these can sit out for Lokhust Heavy Destroyers, Nekrosor Ammentar, or additional Ophydians/Skorpekhs/Hexmarks. 

There are some nice similarities in cost between these units that afford room for future revision, but this version works with things I have right now. Well. Almost. I should probably paint the inner workings of that Doomsday Ark before I stick it together.