Skyshroud Spearhead: The New 1-DP Necrons Tomb Blade Detachment (11th Edition)
How to play Skyshroud Spearhead — the new 1-DP detachment that deep-strikes Tomb Blades for a +1-to-hit alpha strike, plus a mobile Necron skimmer toolkit.
SprueSentry strategy commentary for 11th edition, not official rules. Games Workshop updates points and rules regularly — always confirm against the current official rules and your latest dataslate before a game.
Skyshroud Spearhead is one of three new Necrons detachments in the Warhammer 40,000 11th edition Faction Pack (June 2026). At 1 Detachment Point it's a fast mobile-shooting package built around Tomb Blades and mounted Destroyers — ideal as a support bolted onto a larger 2-DP core.
This is SprueSentry strategy commentary, not official rules. The rules below are confirmed from the current Faction Pack; the 1-DP cost comes from community coverage (the app is the final word), so confirm before a game.
What the Transdimensional Deployment detachment rule does
The detachment rule gives your Tomb Blades Deep Strike, and when a Tomb Blades unit shoots in the same turn it arrived from reserves, its ranged attacks get +1 to Hit. The intended loop is simple and strong: drop the Tomb Blades from reserves and immediately shoot at improved accuracy into a target the opponent left exposed. Around that, the detachment's stratagems give the rest of your Necron skimmers a mobility-and-evasion toolkit.
Stratagems and when to use them
All three key off Necrons Mounted units:
- Omnilocked Strafing (Movement) — a Mounted unit that Falls Back can still shoot that turn. Peel off a combat and keep firing.
- Swift as Death (opponent's Movement) — a reactive move of up to D3+3" to dodge a charge or reposition onto an objective in the enemy's turn.
- Evasive Protocols (opponent's Shooting) — incoming attacks with Strength greater than your unit's Toughness suffer -1 to Wound. A jink save that blunts enemy anti-tank.
Enhancements worth taking
- Recursive Reanimation Upgrade (Tomb Blades) — the unit gets +1 to its Reanimation Protocols roll, keeping your alpha-strike skimmers on the table.
- Deepening Madness Upgrade (Destroyer Cult Mounted) — the unit's ranged attacks gain Assault, so a mounted Destroyer unit (like Lokhust Destroyers) keeps firing at full effect while it Advances.
(Points live in the app; confirm there.)
Key units
- Tomb Blades — the core: Deep Strike plus +1 to Hit on their arrival shot makes them a reliable dropping harassment unit, and Recursive Reanimation keeps them alive.
- Lokhust Destroyers (Destroyer Cult Mounted) — the intended firepower partner; Deepening Madness gives them Assault to shoot on the move.
- Necron Mounted / grav-skimmers generally — every stratagem targets Necrons Mounted, so any qualifying skimmer gets the mobility and defensive toolkit.
When to take Skyshroud Spearhead
At 1 DP it's a lightweight support element, not a whole army. Bolt it onto a larger 2-DP core when you want reserve pressure, deep-striking board control, and durable mounted units that ignore Fall Back penalties. It's a great answer if your core list is slow and needs a fast strike element.
Sample gameplan: hold Tomb Blades in reserve. Early on, use mounted units to screen and grab midboard, leaning on Evasive Protocols against enemy anti-tank and Swift as Death to dodge chargers or reposition. When an opening appears, ingress the Tomb Blades next to a priority target and shoot at +1 to Hit; if they get tied up next turn, Omnilocked Strafing lets them Fall Back and still fire.
Common questions
How much does Skyshroud Spearhead cost in Detachment Points?
1 DP (per community coverage; the Warhammer 40,000 app is the final word). That makes it a support package to bolt onto a larger 2-DP core at a 2,000-point game.
What is the Skyshroud Spearhead detachment rule?
Transdimensional Deployment: your Tomb Blades gain Deep Strike, and when they shoot in the turn they arrive from reserves their ranged attacks get +1 to Hit — a reliable drop-and-shoot alpha strike.
What units are best in Skyshroud Spearhead?
Tomb Blades are the core, supported by mounted Destroyers like Lokhust Destroyers. All three stratagems key off the Necrons Mounted keyword, so any qualifying skimmer benefits from the mobility and evasion toolkit.
Is Skyshroud Spearhead a standalone army?
Not really. At 1 DP it's designed as a support detachment for the new DP-stacking system — pair it with a 2-DP core to add a fast, deep-striking Tomb Blade strike element to a slower list.
Written by SprueSentry with SprueSentry editorial (hand-authored, research-grounded), grounded in the cited sources — original commentary, not Games Workshop rules text.