Iron Strider / Sydonian Dragoon – Adeptus Mechanicus Fast Walker Proxy

Marvin here — and yes, this is the infamous chicken walker. Iron Striders and Sydonian Dragoons are all about movement, not durability. On the tabletop, these units exist to get places they shouldn’t, far earlier than your opponent is comfortable with. They don’t want fair fights. They want angles, side objectives, and awkward firing lines. Iron Strider–style builds usually play as mobile fire support, skirting the edges of the board and punishing exposed units. Dragoon-style builds lean more aggressive, pushing into midfield, threatening charges, and generally being a nuisance that can’t be ignored without consequences. Either way, their value comes from speed and reach, not staying power. These walkers are great for: Early objective pressure Forcing opponents to screen wider Punishing poor positioning Trading up by being cheap, fast, and inconvenient They rarely survive the whole game — and that’s fine. If they’ve forced bad movement, soaked fire meant for something else, or stolen a key objective, they’ve already done their job. Visually, the tall silhouette and spindly legs make their role obvious. Everyone knows these things move fast, which helps keep the game honest and flowing once the board gets crowded. They’re fragile, aggressive, and annoying — which is exactly why good Mechanicus players love them.