Dawn of War: Sync Kills

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This article is part of the Dawn of War Player's Guide.
From RelicWiki

Sync Kills

When two units are fighting in close combat with each other, if one lands the kill blow on the other and the defeated unit is an infantry unit, a special animation takes place called a sync kill. Which animation takes place is highly dependent on what two units are fighting, and can range from the mundane point blank firing of one infantry unit at another to unique sync kills such as the ever impressive Force Commander eliminating the Bloodthirster. When entering a sync kill, the victor gains invulnerability to physical damage until the animation has completed but loses its melee cover bonuses if it had them. A unit can still break morale during a sync kill.

Most infantry and melee-capable vehicles are guaranteed to perform a sync kill when they defeat an enemy infantry unit, but certain units have a reduced chance to perform a sync kill. Some units also have a limited set of possible sync kills they can perform and other units have a limited set of sync kills they can receive, so even if a unit is guaranteed to perform sync kills it may not do so against certain units. Because sync kills can allow overwhelmed melee units to last much longer than usual, the reduced sync kill rate prevents them from becoming too powerful against ranged armies. Some units also lack sync kill animations entirely and so cannot perform sync kills at all, although they can still be the victims of them.

Finally, certain units have special sync kills that they will only use against one other enemy, such as the aforementioned Force Commander defeating a Bloodthirster. These special sync kills are even more spectacular than the regular variety and are always worth watching. Special sync kills can be for vehicle vs vehicle combat, something that regular sync kills cannot do. Special sync kills are guaranteed to fire for that matchup when a sync kill is performed (although remember that Grey Knights only have a 50% chance to perform a sync kill at all).

Grey Knights defeat Horror Squad
Force Commander defeats Bloodthirster
Librarian defeats Avatar of Khaine
Dreadnought defeats Wraithlord
Chaos Lord defeats Bloodthirster
Chaos Sorcerer defeats Avatar of Khaine
Daemon Prince defeats Farseer
Daemon Prince defeats Greater Knarloc
Bloodthirster defeats Bloodthirster
Bloodthirster defeats Avatar of Khaine
Defiler defeats Dreadnought
Avatar of Khaine defeats Bloodthirster
Avatar of Khaine defeats Avatar of Khaine
Wraithlord defeats Defiler
Killa Kan defeats Dreadnought
Pariahs defeat Chaos Sorcerer/Farseer/Psyker/Psyker - Command Squad
Tomb Spyder defeats Dreadnought
Archon defeats Farseer

Tactics

Sync kills have significant tactical importance, due to the invulnerability granted while active. Units who have many sync kills can wade into close combat with infantry and emerge nearly unscathed, even when fire is focused on the sync killing unit. For instance, if a Necron Wraith attacks a full squad of Ork Slugga Boyz, the Wraith will enter sync kills often enough that most of the Slugga Boyz will be unable to damage it. If your units are the victim of a sync kill from a particularly dangerous unit, such as a commander or melee uber unit, use the short moment of freedom to disengage from melee and gain some distance from the unit, leaving it completely exposed once the sync kill is complete.

The Dawn of War Player's Guide

The Dawn of War Player's Guide - Thought of the day: Knowledge is power, guard it well.
Space Marines	Chaos	Eldar	Orks	Imperial Guard	Tau	Necrons	Dark Eldar	Sisters of Battle
Infantry Servitor Scout Marine Squad Space Marine Squad Assault Marine Squad Grey Knights Terminator Squad Assault Terminator Squad Skull Probe Apothecary Force Commander Librarian Chaplain	Infantry Heretic Cultist Squad Chaos Space Marine Squad Raptor Squad Khorne Berzerker Squad Horror Squad Possessed Squad Obliterators Chaos Lord Chaos Sorcerer Daemon Prince Bloodthirster	Infantry Bonesinger Guardian Squad Ranger Squad Howling Banshee Squad Dark Reaper Squad Fire Dragon Squad Warp Spider Squad Harlequin Farseer Seer Council Avatar of Khaine	Infantry Gretchin Slugga Boy Squad Shoota Boy Squad Stormboyz Tankbustaz Nobz Squad Flash Gitz Mega Armoured Nobz Mad Dok Big Mek Warboss	Infantry Techpriest Enginseer Guardsmen Squad Heavy Weapons Team Kasrkin Ogryns Command Squad Commissar Psyker Priest Vindicare Assassin	Infantry Earth Caste Builder XV15 Stealth Team Vespid Stingwing Strain Fire Warrior Team Kroot Carnivores Kroot Shaper Pathfinder Team XV88 Broadside Battlesuit XV8 Crisis Battlesuit Kroot Hound Pack Tau Commander Ethereal Shas'Ui Bodyguard	Infantry Builder Scarabs Necron Warriors Wraith Flayed Ones Immortals Pariahs Necron Lord Essence of the Nightbringer Essence of the Deceiver	Infantry Tortured Slave Mandrake Squad Warrior Squad Hellion Squad Scourge Squad Wych Squad Warp Beast Pack Archon Haemonculus	Infantry Ecclesiarchal Servitor Missionary Battle Sister Squad Seraphim Squad Celestian Squad Death-Cult Assassin Sister Repentia Squad Canoness Avenging Angel Confessor Living Saint
Space Marines	Chaos	Eldar	Orks	Imperial Guard	Tau	Necrons	Dark Eldar	Sisters of Battle
Vehicles Rhino Land Speeder Dreadnought Hellfire Dreadnought Land Speeder Tempest Predator Whirlwind Land Raider	Vehicles Chaos Rhino Defiler Chaos Predator Hell Talon	Vehicles Falcon Grav Tank Vyper Wraithlord Nightwing Shuriken Grav Platform Brightlance Grav Platform Fire Prism	Vehicles Wartrukk Wartrak Killa Kan Fighta-Bomma Looted Tank Squiggoth	Vehicles Chimera Sentinel Hellhound Basilisk Marauder Bomber Leman Russ Baneblade	Vehicles Devilfish Troop Carrier Skyray Missile Gunship Drone Squad Drone Harbinger Barracuda Hammerhead Gunship Krootox Greater Knarloc	Vehicles Tomb Spyder Attack Scarabs Destroyer Heavy Destroyer Lord Destroyer Restored Monolith	Vehicles Reaver Jetbike Raider Talos Raven Ravager Dais of Destruction	Vehicles Rhino Transport Immolator Lightning Fighter Exorcist Penitent Engine
Space Marines	Chaos	Eldar	Orks	Imperial Guard	Tau	Necrons	Dark Eldar	Sisters of Battle
Buildings Stronghold Listening Post Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Chapel-Barracks Armoury Machine Cult Sacred Artifact Orbital Relay Heavy Bolter Turret Mine Field	Buildings Desecrated Stronghold Listening Post Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Chaos Temple Chaos Armoury Sacrificial Circle Machine Pit Daemon Pit Heavy Bolter Turret Mine Field	Buildings Webway Assembly Listening Shrine Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Webway Gate Aspect Portal Soul Shrine Support Portal Support Platform Mine Field	Buildings Settlement Da Listenin' Post Generator Bigga Generator Waaagh! Banner Da Boyz Hut Pile O Gunz! Da Mek Shop Mine Field	Buildings Field Command Listening Post Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Infantry Command Tactica Control Mechanized Command Mars Pattern Command Heavy Bolter Turret Mine Field	Buildings Cadre Headquarters Listening Post Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Tau Barracks Path to Enlightenment Kroot Shaping Center Vehicle Beacon Kauyon Command Post Mont'ka Command Post Coalition Center	Buildings Dormant Monolith Obelisk Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Summoning Core Forbidden Archive Greater Summoning Core Energy Core Gauss Turret	Buildings Kabal Fortress Tower of Loathing Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Slave Chamber Hall of Blood Haemonculus' Laboratory Dark Foundry Wych-Cult Arena Soul Cage	Buildings Ecclesiarchal Chapel Listening Post Plasma Generator Thermo Plasma Generator Adepta Sororitas Convent Pristine Sanctuary Manufactorum Holy Reliquary Shrine of the Living Saint Inferno Turret Purgatus Mine Field