Necrons are getting a new Codex in October. I expect it was supposed to release closer to 9th edition's launch, but the magic of coronavirus intervened. Marines are also getting a new Codex in October so both factions in Edge of Silence are in a similar position - the "see Codex" stuff will change which book it's referring to in a couple of months
The slight difference there is that Marines got a Codex last year which was *very* good, whereas Necrons have an older one. Necrons will probably pick up a lot more power in October relatively speaking, whereas Marines mostly need a cleanup for their huge range and maybe get toned down a little.
It should matter too much for the smaller Crusade games you'll probably get to play between then and now so I wouldn't sweat it too much. If you haven't laid hands on a Codex yet, you might want to wait (making do with Battlescribe or however else you can reference the rules), or see if someone is willing to let go of their 8th one cheap.
Now I'm not a Necron expert, so my answers aren't going to be much better than what you'll be able to find yourself online but for what it's worth:
- Goonhammer is your best resource IMO, because I am a cranky old man who likes quality essay format content instead of videos. There's a few caveats there - their
Start Competing article for Necrons is from late 8th Edition at the height of Marine power, whereas their
Faction Focus is up to date but aimed more at folks who are already familiar with the faction and need to know what's changing. Goonhammer has a competitive focus and most of their judgement on what's good is powerfuly affected on what it takes to win signficant tournaments (like serious point efficiency and denying opponents secondary scoring opportunities). A lot of that is super irrelevant to the sort of small table Crusade play we're doing the most right now, but I think
understanding it is helpful for having fun with the minis you put on the table, just as long as you realise it's only completely in context if you're hopping on a train to a tournament in Tokyo or whatever.
- Reapers vs Flayers: Flayers are better from 24 to 14.1 inches away. Reapers are better at 14 to 12.1 inches. At 12 to 7.1 inches Flayers get to shoot twice so probably take the lead again. At 7 inches and below Reapers get to shoot twice and are strictly better. So the question is "how often do you expect to be that close"? and it's complex, but the relevant bit of context is we are playing mostly 25PL and 50PL games right now, which is played on 44"x30" with usually a couple of objectives in the middle subject to brutal close range fighting, as well as an objective at home someone needs to babysit. If I keep my Indomitus Necrons I will probably try to go half and half, usually keeping the Flayer warriors hanging back and sending in the Reapers to help take the centre. Reapers will definitely help a lot vs my Marines or Dave's Death Guard, but won't be noticeably better vs Matt's Imperial Guard or my Sisters of Battle. It's all pretty contextual so maybe just push fit the guns until you have a good feel for it.
- Next steps will depend on your priorities. Usual default advice is to concentrate on models you think are cool - their rules *will* change over the course of your time in the hobby, moving in and out of competitive fashion - but you'll always think they look awesome. If you're like me how good they are on the table may influence your opinion of how cool they are, but for Necrons we know that will change soon, so there's no cause to rush. You will probably want something to hit the 50PL level (I think Indomitus is high 40s) to fill out your Crusade, but playing Crusade means you add models to your army at a measured pace, so you won't need too much more than that in a real hurry. If you want a deep library of models to cover yourself for play, and aren't too worried about their consistency with the new wave of kits, buying a second hand Necron army is a good way to go (there's one for sale on this site right now). If you want the best raw value available with the new kits, getting another Indomitus half by buying or swapping (many Marine players want more Indomitus - me included - just be aware it's a seller's market for Marines and a buyer's market for Necrons!) is still going to be a superb deal even with diminishing returns from doubling up on HQs. If you want straight up cool looking models, Szeras is a sweet kit and quite new, otherwise we know there is a lot of Necron releases coming at some point soon so you could hold your fire and pick up the ones you like from those waves as they come through.