Heavy Support
Heavy Destroyers - Honestly, what can I say about this unit that I didn't already cover with Destroyers? The switch to Jet Pack Infantry is an all-round buff for a predominantly shooting-based unit and especially in the case of Heavy Destroyers with their 36" range weapons. Adding an extra wound and changing Reanimation Protocols to a pseudo-Feel No Pain roll has more than doubled the survivability of an already decently tough unit, while Preferred Enemy saw a massive improvement for Destroyer Cult squads in 6th Edition as opposed to 5th Edition. That Heavy Destroyers also saw a 10 point decrease in their cost and can now be taken in their own separate units gives players all of the reasons they need to pull these classic models out and use them in games once more, providing Necrons with a valuable source of high Strength AP2 shooting that the army can struggle to find elsewhere. While some might say these are incredibly expensive lascannon wielders, one needs to factor in the efficiency boost Preferred Enemy gives to this unit not only for accuracy but even just for ensuring you wound enemy monstrous creatures and models with a Toughness value. That's before one even considers that unlike most other lascannon wielders, Heavy Destroyers are extremely difficult both to catch and to kill meaning their actual in-game value is more significant than most others. That they are a potentially very mobile scoring unit is yet another reason among many to include even just one squad of these in your Necron force, whether via the Destroyer Cult formation or through a more standard detachment.
Change? Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.
Canoptek Spyders - I've always been a big fan of these units and can identify perfectly why many players prefer them over the other seemingly more obvious sources of damage output - i.e. firepower - in the Heavy Support slot. The profile might not seem that impressive at first as it is not too distinct from that of a Carnifex, save that is Strength 6 with only 2 Attacks and a "mere" 3 Wounds, but that is before one realizes you can take two of these for less points than one Carnifex with no upgrades. That it is Fearless with Leadership 10 makes it an absolute steal for the points regardless of how you use it, much like the Adeptus Mechanicus equivalent, though one could argue the real value of this unit comes from being able to spawn Canoptek Scarab models for free. While this ability does require a pre-existing unit of Scarab Swarms wherein the Spyder adds to that unit and it can still wound the Spyder on the D6 roll of a 1. However, adding free 20 point models on top of an already extremely cheap monstrous creature that is so darned good for its points is just amazing. Rules-wise, as far as I can tell the Canoptek Spyder has remained identical between codices and thus only changes to the meta actually affect it; being able to capture objectives as well as the addition of Smash make for an overall superior unit to what it used to be, even if the boosts aren't major. It also serves as an important lynchpin in the Canoptek Harvest formation, providing the insane Reanimation Protocols special rule to units of Canoptek Scarabs and even Canoptek Wraiths. Overall, Canoptek Spyders are simply absurd for their points cost - much like any number of units in the Necron codex - and thus I would highly recommend them provided your army list doesn't need to rely on the Heavy Support slot for your main source of ranged damage output.
Change? Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.
Doom Scythe - Rating this unit isn't exactly easy as the points reduction and potential buffs provided by the various unique detachments and formations exclusive to the Necron codex would usually have me saying it is better than it was in 6th Edition, but the tweak to how its primary weapon fires makes this units' competitive potential difficult to judge. Being able to line up several targets with a Strength 10 AP1 "beam" was a unique property of the Doom Scythe and allowed for some hugely rewarding Shooting Phases where several vehicles or other high priority targets could all be "sniped" rather effortlessly. Changing that to a small blast utterly removes any potential for hitting anything more than a few models at a time and also severely reduces its effective accuracy, that is if one wants to actually try and compare hitting automatically with a beam to firing a small blast at Ballistic Skill 4. That the Tesla Destructor saw a slight nerf with the removal of its 'Arc' special rule is a minor hit to the units' usefulness at worst, at least compared to the Death Ray change anyway, but it still hurts and adds to the issues I have against the flyer.
However, making the Death Ray a Lance weapon makes it an incredible tool against any kind of enemy vehicle, especially seeing as it is Strength 10 and AP1 - it basically acts as a mobile version of a Zoanthrope with Warp Blast with the range to boot. The Doom Scythe obliterates all kinds of vehicles with relative ease due to weight of fire from its Tesla Destructor and raw hitting power from its Death Ray, and as unreliable as it might be now compared to what it used to be one does need to keep in mind that a saw a decent points reduction. Ultimately, while this definitely isn't the terror weapon it used to be and the formation it can be a part of doesn't change that, people need to remember that it is still a really good vehicle and flyer hunter. The twin-linked Tesla Destructor allows it to engage most enemy flyers and emerge victorious, especially with the Death Scythes' above average armour values for its unit type. Compared to other flyers, the Doom Scythe is still very decent for its price point and ultimately that's all one can really ask for considering how under-priced both it and the Night Scythe used to be. That its main weapon is an AP1 Lance gives Necrons arguably its best single counter to AV14 at range and it is a commendable choice for that reason alone.
Change? Weaker.
Competitive? Yes.
Monolith - Like anyone else that has even glanced at this codex, I was hugely disappointed to see that the Monolith saw no real direct changes to its rules other than a confusing change to its portal. This is absolutely the worst aspect of the Necron codex release considering that the Monolith was already widely regarded as a sub-par unit and yet, unlike almost every other unit in the codex that was rarely taken competitively, it saw zero meaningful improvements to its core rules. I can only presume that the rules designers thought that the buffed vehicle damage chart would give the Monolith the boost it needed, but even with that and being able to score, the Monolith is still just too expensive for what it does. Its Gauss Flux Arcs are still forced to snap fire the moment it fires that Particle Whip, while one need only look at a standard Leman Russ Battle Tank to see that the Monoliths' primary weapon is a poor imitation of the Battle Cannon due to its comparatively pitiful range. It just doesn't provide the firepower to justify that high price tag, especially as it is still grossly vulnerable to melta weaponry in particular; the only saving grace with the new codex entry is that it can potentially regrow hull points and is immune to both Crew Shaken and Crew Stunned when taken as part of its unique formation in a Decurion Detachment. Still, not even that justifies the negative change to its transportation capabilities - it can no longer Deep Strike and "slingshot" a C'tan Shard through, for example - and the removal of its ability to force Strength tests that instantly slay opponents that fail. This unit has been made functionally worse in the strategies it has traditionally been used for and saw no true boosts to save it from competitive free-fall. It truly is a red-herring in an otherwise almost entirely stellar codex, and it is so sad given that it is arguably the most symbolic and easily recognizable model of the Necron range.
Change? Weaker.
Competitive? No.
Annihilation Barge - Much like the Night Scythe before it, this unit received a sizable points increase and some minor tweaks to its weaponry and special rules to properly balance it without making it worthless. I think almost everyone could agree that Annihilation Barges were simply far too cheap for what they provided before and I honestly don't sympathize with anyone complaining about the points hike. It wasn't a huge change to the base cost, after all, and the slight nerf to Living Metal is easily ignored if you use this unit in a Decurion Detachment where it belongs, while the removal of Arc from the Tesla Destructor is barely noticeable at all. Realistically, this unit is now appropriately priced versus its capabilities and shouldn't be raising any more complaints from critics of Necrons about how inexpensive it was. It's undeniably not as strong as it was but it was simply too powerful for its points before, and while I am going to rate it as a good but not great unit, one does need to consider that its' worth as an anti-air tool is greatly reduced now that the Tesla effect no longer applies on Snap Shots. This does mean Necrons are more reliant than ever on both Night Scythes and Doom Scythes to deal with opposing flyers, but generally I don't feel it is too big of a nerf to stop this unit from being taken competitively. After all, it is very survivable, decently mobile in a pinch and has good firepower considering its points cost which should easily be enough reason for players to use one in their armies.
Change? Weaker.
Competitive? Yes.
Doomsday Ark - While I am well aware that this unit was never really competitive in either 5th Edition or 6th Edition, and that this codex realistically hasn't given it quite the boost it needs to be pushed up to that high tier, I'm still a huge fan of it for various reasons. Being the only true "artillery" unit that isn't a Lord of War in the codex has its advantages, while it is very difficult to destroy without either some luck (it is Open-Topped, unfortunately) on the vehicle damage chart or a significant amount of firepower due to its high armour values and four hull points. A slight points reduction and a pretty large buff to its firepower serve to make it a more well-rounded choice that isn't as lacklustre on the move and serves as a tough backfield scoring unit in a pinch. For those wondering what exactly changed with its weapons, all of its guns saw improvement; the Gauss Flayer Arrays now always fire ten shots each regardless of the range as they are now Salvo 5/10 weapons on a Relentless platform, while the Doomsday Cannon saw a Strength boost with both profiles and an AP boost to the weaker version. Firing a Strength 8 AP3 small blast on the move in addition to the paired Gauss Flayer Arrays is not bad firepower at all, though obviously remaining stationary is preferable so that you can make full use of the awesome Strength 10 AP1 Large Blast standard profile. What is also nice to see is that the Doomsday Cannon is now a Primary Weapon, basically meaning it acts just like an Ordnance weapon with regards to rolling the extra D6 for armour penetration without forcing the vehicles' other weapons to fire Snap Shots.
This is a strong boost to the Doomsday Ark's anti-tank capabilities and also allows it to inflict Instant Death on Toughness 5 models such as Centurions while ignoring their armour saves. When you consider that effects that stop Primary Weapons from firing are ignored on a 4+, it isn't at all difficult to see how much of a buff this is alongside the vehicle having Living Metal - the boost it gets from a Decurion means it will essentially always be able to fire! Of course, the core issue with the Doomsday Ark is and always has been lining up a good shot for its superior stationary profile which is very difficult with cover and terrain that can block line of sight in play; the reality of Warhammer 40,000 is that units need to move to get a good shot off. Add in other factors such as the potential to miss as well as cover saves and it becomes evident that the Doomsday Ark, like the Vindicator before it, is an efficient fire-base and really serves best as a terror weapon that can admittedly soak up a lot of firepower. Still, the secondary weapon profile used when the Ark moves is much better and can be a good Space Marine killer in a pinch while the rest of the model is generally improved, so I would say it isn't nearly as limited as it used to be. Overall, I'm actually rather pleased with the changes to this unit. The firepower still isn't quite what it should be considering its points cost, but that is before one considers it is pretty much the perfect unit to sit on a backfield objective and blast enemies from across the table with its whopping 72" range and high survivability. At the very least, it is a far more efficient use of the points and the slot than a Monolith which admittedly isn't saying much, but I do rate it even next to an Annihilation Barge even if run solo as that more random but potentially game-changing choice that isn't even all that expensive to begin with. With all that in mind, I'm going to rate it as a competitive choice but that comes with the addendum that it is more good than bad and sits in that area of mediocrity where it does somewhat deserve the label as it can make those lists in a certain build, but won't populate the meta to any high degree.
Change? Stronger.
Competitive? Yes.
Transcendent C'tan - This is surprisingly one of the simpler reviews for me to do despite how much the unit has changed both on paper and in practice, due mostly to the fact that it is a close mirror to the "standard" C'tan Shards of the Deceiver and Nightbringer respectively. Its' stats are closer to the Deceiver in terms of Weapon Skill and Ballistic Skill 5, though it has two notable boosts including Strength 8 and 5 Wounds as opposed to Strength 7 and 4 Wounds. As you should really know by now, the Transcendent C'tan is a Monstrous Creature in the new codex rather than a Gargantuan Creature and its abilities, points cost and profile have been toned down significantly to compensate. It has the same Necrodermis and Immune to Natural Law rules as the other C'tan Shards and is uniquely capable of Deep Striking, though its' "unique" rule - Writhing Worldscape - isn't nearly as useful by comparison. Forcing enemies within 6" of it to treat open ground as difficult terrain can sometimes be handy but ultimately its' not really what I expect from such an expensive model, at least not compared to the Grand Illusion or Gaze of Death. In any case, one can reasonably state that it is a better fighter than the Deceiver, better against Toughness 4 multiple-wound opponents than the Nightbringer and generally the most survivable of the bunch with its five wounds. Of course, a Nightbringer that manages to get in range of any unit with a Leadership value will have an easier time of it than a Transcendent C'tan but considering C'tan Shards often get shot to death before they get close to anything because of how deceivingly fragile they are, that extra wound will usually serve you better. The other thing to consider is that with Deep Strike, the Transcendent C'tan is the only one of the trio that has his own delivery mechanism and thus should be able to get his powers and possibly a charge off before he dies. In that sense, while he doesn't have an awesome thematic ability like Gaze of Death, having the innate ability to Deep Strike is generally good compensation for that discrepancy. I'm as much a fan of this as I am of the Nightbringer and Deceiver and thus will rate it a competitive choice, though one needs to keep in mind that this is in no way the over-powered tournament destroying unit that it was and is instead a nice, balanced unit that is a decent but not great unit just like the other C'Tan Shards.
Change? Weaker.
Competitive? Yes.
By your will, my Lord, we have unleashed our panoply of war. Our slave gods believe they are transcendent, yet they bow to your will. It is the fate of all who oppose the endless legions. We await your royal edict.
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