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Grand Cathay · 150 points
Is the Cathay Sky Lantern good?
Cathay Sky Lantern crane guns are average, but the Bombing Run makes the unit good. The guns did the same damage at long range as at short range in my tests, which no other unit managed.
Quick answer: it depends what you point the Cathay Sky Lantern at
- Role
- Bomber for massed infantry
- Good against
- Ironbreakers (1.2, 7th): best ranking
- Struggles against
- Knights of the Realm (1.1, 19th), Skaven Dregs (2.3, 27th), Skirmishing Empire Archers (2.4, 20th)
- Range
- Holds up at long range (99% kept)
Bomber for massed infantry is the job Cathay Sky Lantern did best in my testing, and it is the yardstick I would judge it by, rather than its 19th-of-29 overall average.
How many simulations I ran
I ran 120 volleys with the Cathay Sky Lantern: ten fresh volleys at each of six targets, at both long and short range, plus 60 separate Bombing Runs. I then fired 1,800 more Cathay Sky Lantern volleys at fixed distances, after moving and into cover. Those main volleys were part of the 4,080 I ran across 29 shooting units, and these were the Cathay Sky Lantern results.
No simulation is perfect, and my Cathay Sky Lantern results are no exception: the dice fall on open ground, with no magic, no extra characters and no opponent making decisions. With ten volleys per result, Cathay Sky Lantern (2.2) and Wood Elf Glade Guard (2.3) finished level at short range, so I would not read anything into their order. Read the Cathay Sky Lantern results as a guide to roles and matchups rather than a forecast.
My verdict
I would not buy a Sky Lantern for its guns alone: 19th of 29 at short range. The Bombing Run is the reason to take it, and it did 6.7 wounds per run into State Troops.
Best and worst targets for Cathay Sky Lantern
Cathay Sky Lantern by target. Ranks out of 29. n = 10 volleys per cell
| Target | Long | Rank | Short | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knights of the Realm | 2.3 | 2nd | 1.1 | 19th |
| Ironbreakers | 1.7 | 2nd | 1.2 | 7th |
| Empire State Troops | 2.4 | 11th | 3.5 | 11th |
| Skaven Dregs | 2.6 | 18th | 2.3 | 27th |
| Rat Ogres | 2.3 | 8th | 2.9 | 9th |
| Skirmishing Empire Archers | 1.9 | 11th | 2.4 | 20th |
Range and armour
At long range the Cathay Sky Lantern kept 99% of its short-range damage, one of the flattest range profiles I tested. Its best long-range target was Skaven Dregs (2.6).
Against my two heavily armoured targets, Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, Cathay Sky Lantern averaged 1.2 wounds at short range. That puts it 12th of 29 for cracking armour.
Rules that shaped these numbers
- These figures cover only the Sky Lantern’s crane guns. The purchased Bombing Run is a separate movement-phase action, so I tested it on its own below. Do not add the two together automatically.
Cathay Sky Lantern after moving and in cover
My main table is a clean volley in the open, so I also fired the Cathay Sky Lantern at fixed distances, after moving and at targets in partial cover. The Cathay Sky Lantern cannot shoot after moving, so every moved result below is zero; standing still at 22 inches with the target in partial cover, it averaged 1.17. Standing still in the open at 10 inches, the Cathay Sky Lantern averaged 2.15 (12th of 18).
Cathay Sky Lantern: mean wounds across all six targets. Still or moved, open ground or partial cover. n = 60 volleys per cell
| Distance | Still, open | Moved, open | Still, cover | Moved, cover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 inches | 2.15 (12th) | 0.00 | 1.63 (13th) | 0.00 |
| 22 inches | 1.58 (10th) | 0.00 | 1.17 (6th) | 0.00 |
Ranks in brackets compare the Cathay Sky Lantern with the other 17 units in the fixed-distance test.
Cathay Sky Lantern after moving into partial cover, by distance. n = 60 volleys per cell
| 6in | 10in | 16in | 22in | 28in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
Sky Lantern Bombing Run
The Bombing Run happens in the movement phase, separately from the crane-gun volley above, so I ran ten independent Bombing Runs against each target.
Bombing Run results. Premature detonations out of 10 runs. n = 10 runs per target
| Target | Wounds / run | Models removed / run | Premature detonations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Knights | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0/10 |
| Ironbreakers | 2.0 | 2.0 | 1/10 |
| State Troops | 6.7 | 6.7 | 1/10 |
| Dregs | 3.3 | 3.3 | 5/10 |
| Rat Ogres | 0.7 | 0.0 | 2/10 |
| Skirmish Archers | 2.6 | 2.6 | 1/10 |
In my opinion the Bombing Run belongs over massed, lightly armoured infantry: it did 6.7 wounds per run into State Troops. Rat Ogres shrugged it off: 0.7 wounds per run never removed a whole three-wound model.
How I set up the test
5 models could shoot in every matchup. My method page has the full setup.
How does it compare?
Other Grand Cathay shooters
- Cathay Crane Gunners144 pts · 2.9 avg short, 1.7 avg long
- Cathay Iron Hail Gunners144 pts · 3.7 avg short, 3.4 avg long
Similar overall damage
- Wood Elf Glade GuardWood Elf Realms · 2.3 avg short
- Wood Elf Deepwood ScoutsWood Elf Realms · 2.1 avg short
- Wood Elf WaywatchersWood Elf Realms · 2.4 avg short
My conclusion
Based on these results, I would use the Cathay Sky Lantern for Bombing Runs over massed, lightly armoured infantry, and not for a crane-gun firebase or bombing Rat Ogres, to get the most out of it on the battlefield.
FAQs
What is Cathay Sky Lantern best at shooting?
Empire State Troops: the Cathay Sky Lantern did 3.5 wounds per short-range volley against them in my tests. Its lowest number was against Knights of the Realm, at 1.1.
Is the Cathay Sky Lantern better at long or short range?
Neither, really: it did about the same at both. It averaged 2.2 wounds at long range against 2.2 at short range, 2nd of 29 for holding up at range.
Is the Cathay Sky Lantern good against armour?
Against Knights of the Realm and Ironbreakers, the Cathay Sky Lantern averaged 1.2 wounds per short-range volley, 12th of the 29 units I tested.