- A deep-striking sure-shot killer (the Shadow Bomber)
- A key-unit protector (Castle Shadow)
- A morale booster (Shadow Leader)
The Shadow Bomber
Deep in the back field behind some sort of cover it sits... cocky and confidant. Or perhaps it's some piece of armor or a gunner that just took out your rail gun platform. Maybe it's just some niggly little Tech Priest that is just on your nerves.
It must die.
This is where the Shadow Bomber comes in. The Shadow Bomber tactic gives you at least one good solid attempt at taking out some key unit and making sure it or at least hurts. Think about it: two strength 8 AP 1 hits, not a lot gonna live through that.
How it Works
Keep Shadowsun in reserve and declare her as a deep-striking unit. Most armies I've played against so far like to deploy a fair chunk of their army in one go, which makes this process easier. By the end of Turn 1 you'll have a fair idea of what needs to be targeted.
When Shadowsun rolls up for deployment from reserve you need to pick your landing zone. I personally like to deploy her about 3" away from a vehicle or 6" away from non-vehicle units. The reason, of course, is scatter -
The Downside
The downside to the Shadow Bomber is that if that she doesn't succeed at ending her target, she's left fairly open. Granted she has three drones she can drop wounds on but that's only a stop-gap measure. Another problem is if said target is also surrounded by other nasties such as a Space Marine squad and you don't have any difficult or blocking terrain you can jump in, on, or behind to protect yourself. Granted you can easily take out two Marines a round on her own, but that's just two.
So then when is your best opportunity to use the bomb? On a big, beefy two-wound target or on an isolated bit of armor. Transports are risky, but if you can melta blast and get away the go for it. Stay about 5" out and you're solid.
The other downfall is the Deep Strike itself. If you're not landing in plenty of clear terrain then you run the risk of mishap. You also run the risk of drifting out of her effective range: remember on the turn you deep strike you don't get a move phase movement. I like to eye-ball a spot about 6" out. if I drift, there's a good chance I'll still be within the 12" of the fusion blasters. If I'm really lucky I'll be in Melta range.
After the Bomb
Once she's done her job, your opponent should have a dead critical model and, if you're lucky, you'll still have the good commander and a few drones left over. But odds are she's stranded near your opponent's deployment zone and possibly penned in by a lot of nasty things between her and the safety of numbers.
This, surprisingly, is a good thing.
No matter where she is, she is a big shiny unique sitting largely by herself and that makes her a juicy target. People will be gunning for her. On top of that if she's close to the enemy lines a lot of deployments will be happening in her vicinity. If she's closer to your side of the board, jump her towards the deployment zone especially if you're lucky enough to be able to JSJ at a larger squad of... well... ANYTHING. Again she has a good chance of instant-killing two MEQs a round.
If she does die this honestly doesn't bother me. Since she comes in from reserves it's not a guarantee when the bomb will drop, and by then she provides a good lure - one or two turns devoted to taking her out after she's done her job gives another unit one or two turns to kill things off.
Synergies
While on the surface she works alone, there are a few great areas where she would work and play well with others.
Horde Killers: Any unit loaded with Burst Cannons, Missile Pods, and/or Flamers work well here. They can deep strike in behind her and take care of any other sort of units.
Pathfinders/Broadsides/Railheads: Let's face it: these things tend to be priority targets for our opponents and for good reason. So when they load up a unit specifically to deal with these key units, let Shadowsun take care of them.
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