Dawn of War Codex

I have been really struggling with the IG vs GK matchup and was hoping for some tips. I generally can get through tier 1 comfortably, but usually mid tier 2 things fall apart. Specific problems are interceptors, GK dreadnoughts, and the nemesis vortex.

Interceptors: I haven't found a way to control these units. They tend to be a death sentence for my setup teams, they can usually drive off or disrupt catachans, and they are a relatively guaranteed snare for a chimera or leman russ. Essentially they tend to nullify my key units.

Dreadnoughts: If left with multi-melta, these easily finish my vehicles with an interceptor krak grenade to snare and canticle of absolution to prevent repair. As a mobile plasma cannon they tend to devastate my infantry while being well protected from my usual counters (They are hard manitcore hits, immune to disruption from old reliable, and lascannons are being jumped by interceptors). I can sometimes snare with stormtroopers, but they won't live to bring down the dread without additional av.

Nemesis Vortex: This ability is generally an instant retreat for any squads around it. I can't outrun it, and combined with hellfury strike is can easily wipe a blobbed army. I try not to blob or to hop in a chimera, but that isn't always easy.

So what has your experience been in this match up? Any advice on how to handle these threats? Is there something GK players really fear from the IG?

Interceptors

With LG I would say go for the melta gun, spread out your GM and DPS them down by activating the ability.

With LC you have alot of options, I would generally reccomend the power sword in T1 since it's pretty cheap and does alot of work, + either go bionic eye and execute 1 cata or get the armor which grants you inspire terror, and shoot it at the justicar of the interceptor, not only it will do alot of damage but it will also debuff their damage for a while, meanwhile your catas should be dpsing them, adding in a sent stomp is also nice.

Inq probably as it the easiest, you can consider going for the crossbow in T1 if you want, or well, all her weapons are viable vs GKs, for sure in T2 you'll want the Excruciatus, you can use it in combi with a manti on the interceptors, and that's a granted retreat since they can't teleport while under that ability, or you can still just dps them down with your GM.

As a general thing always get the plasma guns.

Dreadnought

Depending on your previous hero:

inq = use a lascannon while you control the interceptors with the excruciatus (also the shield of the HWT makes them immune to knockback and lowers the ranged damage received by 50%)

LG = you already got that melta, which wont be enough alone, but you can pair it up with some melta stormtroopers, or ogryns while using the medipack, which you should have from T1 if you went for catas.

LC = power fist with a combination of any AV at your disposal, lascannon (even better if your execute a member of them), melta troopers, ogryns etc.

Nemesis Vortex

Very easy to deal with, get commies on your GM squads and when you spot the vortex retreat enough to be out of range of it and execute a member of the squad so that they stop retreating.

I remember a phase back when I mained LG and I struggled particularly vs asms (very similiar case to interceptors).

In a nutshell the way you overcome this is by improving your sentinel play. Focus especially on the guardsmen & sentinel synergy in t1, mastering that is basically the key to all 1v1 ig play. When you get the hang of it you can shut down any non hero melee units in the game without extra investments in anti melee.
2gm & 1 sent can take apart any t1 force of equal squad count, barring stuff like double set up teams or double asms etc.

After that you move to double sentinel play, and when you get that down you'll find yourself winning most of your games before the 8 minute mark (altho sents did get hit by nerfbat pretty hard on the elite mod and aren't as bonkers trololo as they used to be, 2 sents is still very viable).


Also don't underestimate plasma guns. I remember I had trouble finding a reliable damage source vs asms other than ogryns cos I didn't use plasmas. When you actually manage to get your plasma gm to take some potshots at hi units, you will actually hurt them instead of tickling them with lasguns.
With gm squads that have plasmas + commissar its particularly easy to bait the jump (altho with teleport its harder than with jump) and insta retreat, then execute within weapons range and start shooting.



I ended up rambling and venturing a tad off topic but hope this is of some help.

The Match-Up favours grey knights, so don't fret too much.

Ok so basically interceptors are going to give you absolute hell if you try to fight them head on, so don't! Don't purchase catachans, you don't need them as they don't have proper set-up teams.

Your best bet here is to go double sentinels, this is because grey knights lack snipers/set-up teams so sentinels can really apply pressure to their army, especially in pairs. Complement that with 2x guardsmen for map control and repairs. Then get upgrades for you heroes.

Tanky melee heroes are a weakness of GK so this is one instance in which you ought to get the rosarius for the inquisitor coupled with the holy brazier. You should use your holy pyre to counter any full on charge he makes using We are the hammer, but don't waste your energy on hammer of the witches, it's better to have more hp via the rosarius, just tie up whatever is nearest, or if they have interceptors go after them after stomping them, your hero bleeds them quite quick. Come t2 you can get assail on her to counter upgraded Bro-caps/interceptors and eventually terminators too.

The LC wants to get his power sword and the aura of discipline. This makes him very very strong at the backlines, you just wait for him to teleport his interceptors in, stomp, then use the lead by example ability, your gm will have buffed damage and the LC will wipe the floor with the interceptors, not to mention because your LC is always at the back of your army he will heal them from ranged fire which is fantastic as it means he protects your guardsmen from melee AND ranged so they can stay out for the maximum amount of time to support your sentinels while they bleed your foe.

The lord general obviously wants to hunt down stormtroopers early on to bleed them. I like getting grenade launchers on him if my foe does as this allows me to counter their GLs while boosting my GMs speed, which is very useful in this MU to avoid bad engagements and thus bleed. Typically though the LG is best off with just the sergeant upgrade and then the anti-damage/knockback armour + sniper rifle + commissar in t2.

You can also get a heavy weapons team in t1 if you want, this is geat if they get double IST w/ sergeants+SS, which they likely will to try and take out your sentinels, and then if they interceptors it doesn't even matter so long as you are inq/LC as you have such powerful counter initiation and two stomps, then if they get GLs your sents have free reign.

In t2 the best purchase is ogryns, they will help greatly vs interceptors and also the dreadnought. The dread shouldn't be much trouble though for IG, with ogryns, a lascannon/autocannon + 2 sentinel missles dreads are easy to deal with, but it's gonna be a bigger deal if you lose your sentinels in t1, if that happens and possibly even if it doesn't you will want to fully upgrade both guardsmen. The thing with grey knights is that in t2 their ranged dps is awful, and so to bleed you more than they bleed they need to commit to engagements in melee, and that can bleed them hard vs 2x fully upgraded GM, and it can risk their dreadnought's life. With that economic advantage you should be able to get to t3 before them, once you get a leman russ out if they don't have paladins then they are pretty screwed, pop a repair bunker in mid and wait for kasrkin, GG.

Stormtroopers are always a good purchase in any MU if you are floating req as IG. In this MU catachans/spotters are rather pointless, as is the manticore. The chimera can work, but I find due to GKI+dread/rhino being so madly strong against it, you're better off getting ogryns as they are the only realistic linebreaker IG get vs GK and their big weakness of suppression doesn't really exist.

Thanks for the replies! This is exactly the sort of advice I need. I doubt I have the micro to pull off some of these suggestions yet, but just having a plan to work on makes a big difference.