Editing Warhammer 40,000/7th Edition Tactics/Genestealer Cults (section)

===Dealing with Air===

There are many great things about Genestealer Cults. Their anti-infantry is pretty great, especially in close combat. Their Troops can turn most tanks to jelly and even against Super Heavies (20 Purestrain with the Patriarch will almost without fail kill a Knight before it gets to strike back, even 10 have a good chance) they will stand up reasonably well. What they lack is dedicated anti-air and when I say lack I mean THE ONLY thing they have to counter air is Flakk missiles, not exactly something to be depended on. Now don't panic because there is a way out. Thanks to their AoC Astra Militarum they have access to Hydras. Now I know, they can't shoot at the ground particularly well but at 70 points you can put a full squadron into a 1500 list and not really notice the cost. Yes you have to pay for the HQ and Troop tax but that is still only a fifth of your over all costs. Even 2 Hydras will handle a single flyer most of the time and seeing as how cheap most of the GC army is you can still overwhelm your opponent with Rending attacks. Depends on your meta but if you are stuggling to deal with pesky flyers, take a good look at Hydras. Also with the Detachment your opponent has to -1 to his reserve rolls to the flyers may not even turn up.

Tyranid Flyrants provide a cheaper option for anti-air largely because they occupy an HQ slot rather than Heavy Support. That said, a full unit of Hydras is 20 points cheaper and puts out the same number of Twin Linked shots with 1 higher strength and AP4 compared to the Devourer Flyrants. On top of that, you get 3 Heavy Bolters that you can snap shoot at AV10 or 11 fliers, or fire against ground targets at full BS. It just depends on where you want to get your Anti Air from and whether or not you have more use for Tyranid units or Astra Militarium units.

That said, if you're having major trouble with enemy aircraft it's definitely worth considering the Emperor's Wrath Artillery Company. While a bit pricey, it unlocks some major firepower for a GSC list, including Manticores, Basilisks, Hydras, and Wyverns. Furthermore, these units can accept orders from a Company Command squad, meaning that your Hydras can Ignore Cover on a successful leadership test. If you've got use for a Manticore and a Basilisk or Wyvern in your GSC army, it's definitely worth considering allying in the Wrath company, as nothing clears the skies quite like 3 Hydras with Ignore Cover.