Why'D You Pick That? Vanquisher Heavy Warjack

Howdy folks!  I'm back with another installment of my series on why I choose the models I have for my Menoth army.

This time around I am going to talk about the Vanquisher Heavy Warjack.  It's generally accepted that our best all-around Warjack is the Reckoner, which I don't generally disagree with all that much.  However, I really have been enjoying the Vanquisher.  It provides a lot of utility to our army in the way of shooting and anti-infantry ability.  So, let's break it down.

My Vanquisher, ready to rumble.

The Vanquisher will strike most players immediately as an obvious choice for clearing infantry out.  The Flame Belcher cannon is a flaming, continuous fire 4" AOE at POW 14.  This will effectively kill most infantry and solos outright despite armor and defense buffs.  The large AOE means that even on misses, clumps of infantry will get hurt badly and at very least, they will be set on fire. The POW 14 also means that you will have a bit of warjack damaging ability.  With a boost to damage you can even put a significant dent in heavies, though there are better targets for this gun.  The fact that the gun is a 4" AOE also means that you don't have to fear those high defense and stealth models so much.

If that weren't enough, Vanquisher's blazing star melee weapon is P+S 16 and has thresher meaning that if this 'jack can get into melee range of several infantry models, he will start clearing the field quickly.  I like pairing him up with a Vassal of Menoth so that I can get into melee, clear some models out, and then use Ancillary Attack to get off an out of activation shot on additional models that might have been previously blocked.

If that weren't enough, I think that the Vanquisher could be a sneaky heavy killer.  It couldn't necessarily take out a heavy warjack on full damage, but it could certainly finish one off with a complement of focus.  With a choir buff (which you will take if you play any competitive Menoth list), you are looking at P+S 18 for the blazing star.  On average dice you will take about 6 boxes per hit on a heavy.  With boosting, you can take out whole columns and then some.  Not to mention that it can handle most warbeasts which typically are looking at slightly lower ARM stats.

I am really seeing the Vanquisher come into its own in my current 35pt eFeora list.  The lists looks like this:

eFeora +6
- Redeemer (bonded) -6
- Vanquisher -8

Avatar -11
Min Choir -2
Full Temple Flameguard +UA -8
Visgoth Rhoven and Honor Guard -4
Vassal of Menoth -2

The bonded Redeemer get continuous fire on all of its shots and with some focus from Feora, can pump up to 3 shots out in its activation.  The Vanquisher will normally merit the use of the Vassal as I mentioned above.  This means it can fire twice per turn early in a game or make additional melee attacks if need to clear out infantry.  The Flameguard provide me with some tough denial ability while the Avatar is my main beatstick.  Rhoven is there to provide an option against stealth and protect my backfield.

So, there you have it.  The Vanquisher is a spiffy warjack and one that I find shines time and again as a reliable staple for my Menoth lists.

What are your thoughts?  Is the Vanquisher capable of playing an all-around role?  Do you mainly use it as an infantry clearer? Is that a better option in the current meta where we are beginning to see a lot more infantry?  Let me know.  Thanks.