Warhammer 40,000: Conquest

This card is generally great , even in Omega with just 6 elites . 

Anytime Blackwhyn. On a side note, remember you could also potentially use the Chain-Choppa to stop one of your opponents' warlord-train units from readying by placing it on that unit instead of your own unit. Granted, it's a rather odd and risky move, but it might work in some matchups.

-And it certainly has the element of surprise

Yes. You'd need to find some other way to ready the unit carrying the Huge Chain-Choppa than readying between combat rounds. A good wielder is Nazdreg's Flash Gits, or the mortar squads from Cadia (especially if you're playing as Coteaz )

Otherwise, Smash'n Bash and/or Kommando Sneakaz are both fit for this purpose too.

@leo987 It cannot. Backlash can only be used to cancel an effect that targets an Elite unit you control. This means that the effect must have the specific word target in the text. Since the Lychguard's ability doesn't target the Deathwing Guard, Backlash cannot be used to cancel its ability nor to destroy the Lychguard.

Moreover, the Lychguard's ability is a constant effect and as such it isn't triggered at any point, but merely becomes active when the Lychguard enters play. By contrast, triggered abilities, whether voluntary or forced, have a specified timing followed by a colon printed in bold on the card, e.g. Reaction:, Action:, Forced Reaction:​ etc. See also RRG p. 15.

Welcome to the game

To me it seems you cannot use Backlash.

Backlash reads "When your opponent triggers an ability that targets an Elite unit you control, cancel its effects. Then, if that ability was triggered from an army unit, destroy it."

According to the Rules and Reference Guide (pg. 15) the term "target" indicates that a game element (such as a card) must be chosen as the subject or recipient of an effect.

The Lychguards' ability simply states that "Your opponent must declare a ready unit named 'Lychguard Sentinel' as a defender, if able", so, in this case, it seems that the recipient of the effect is the opponent player himself, considering that the ability doesn't specifically target any of his cards.

At least that's my interpretation according to the RRG.

Hi
I have a question.
Battle: Space Marines vs Necrons.

SMs card on the planet X: Deathwing Guard (Elite)
Necrons cards on the planet X: Lychguard Sentinel and Immortal Vanguard

SM Attack Phase.
Deathwing Guard attack Immortal Vanguard, but Lychguard Sentinels text sound "Your opponent must declare a ready unit named “Lychguard Sentinel” as a defender, if able."
So Deathwing Guard must attack Lychguard Sentinels.
The Ability of Lychguard Sentinels is activated autoaticaly against Deathwing Guard.
Then SM Player plays Backlash (" When your opponent triggers an ability that targets an Elite unit you control, cancel its effects. Then, if that ability was triggered from an army unit, destroy it.").

Question:
Deathwing Guard can destroy Lychguard Sentinels using Backlash card or not?

How does it gain or deny 3?

All in all it's not a reliable effect, but it can be a powerful knockout blow.

That's the thing about this card that's not immediately apparent: It doesn't matter if the effect doesn't trigger because you've forced your opponent to play around it.

There was one instance I observed recently (not a game I was playing) where Shadowsun placed a Recon Drone to planet 1 (Osus IV) and Morn placed a Blackguard opposite it. Neither player had any intention of committing to 1 since the colour was irrelevant for the victory conditions of each player and going into the command phase the Shadowsun player had 1 resource. The play by the Morn player was strong, even though he had to pay 2 for the Blackguard, since the Shadowsun player was left with a choice: Claim the resources at Osus then give them to Morn after the battle's over, or don't claim the resources to deny Morn. Either way, Morn either gains 1 resource or 3 resources, and in both cases denies 3 resources from Shadowsun, which is the main objective.

Point is; it suffices to force your opponent to make less optimal decisions even if you aren't directly benefiting from it.

I think it's a very strong card in certain matchups. Against Elite decks it might be risky to pull off (you usually need have a control card in hand to ensure an early win against those) but it's very strong against decks that need to fight for command, thus are more likely to let planet 1 go. I've found it strong, with the only problem being that deckspace in DE is very very tight - you don't want to ditch command for this. All in all it's not a reliable effect, but it can be a powerful knockout blow.

Given the ability can only trigger when a battle takes place, this guy is best played to either planet 1 as a bruiser or the planet you think your opponent will commit to alongside something else (but that's harder to set up). Any other deploy implies that you're committing to that planet, which telegrpahs your plays.

That said, it works really well as a planet 1 bully since it has some solid stats for its cost (especially if played for 1) and forces your opponent to commit to the fight or take the hit. If they go for the former, it then acts as a psuedo meatshield for your other units because they want it gone, and if they go for the latter then they'll either spend their money inefficiently, opt to not take resource command wins, or outright lose the cash. Either way, it's pulling its weight.

Additionally, should it survive the fight at 1 it ends up in your train and can trigger again irrespective of where you commit, so it can effectively guarantee the second trigger.

Really like this card, but you don't really need more than 2 in a deck. It's also not really worth it outside of Morn since it's much more worthwhile for 1 cost

@SrgntKurgan

If you involve Bonesinger Choir in the cost reduction in any way you will always have to end up paying at least £1 for the unit because of its restriction, regardless of any other modifiers and reducers 

RRG, p. 12: "The (+X cards) and (+X resources) symbols modify the number of cards or resources that are granted by a planet when the controller of the symbol wins a command struggle there. The card with the symbol must be at the planet when its bonus resolves. Their effects are cumulative, and their modification of the planet bonus is not optional."

So...no.

If my opponent wins the command struggle at a red planet where this unit is located, do they receive the +2 resource bonus that the Skrap Nabba gives?

I find the tank's best played in Shadowsun since you get a whole bunch of cost reducers for it

The whole thing with Ragnar is to make it damn hard for the opponent to decide where to commit to.

So you put threats on every planet and lower the choices.