Draigowing Xs & Os • Proper Use of Psychic Powers during Melee

I typically run Draigo and a Librarian attached to a squad of ten Paladins (3x daemonhammer). There isn't much that can go up against them in melee but then again there are a few units that can give them a go. For instance Thunderwolf Cavlary lead by a Bear Lord (thunderhammer) and all armed with stormshields can be a problem. A good Space Wolf player will have a Rune Priest nearby to play havoc with your psychic powers. The Bear Lord has six attacks on the charge, hitting on 3+ and can insta gib your Paladins quickly if you're not careful. This is a great example how to manage your psychic powers during melee since it is a tough fight even for Paladins.

You've got up to five psychic powers you can cast during melee:

Draigo - 2x
Librarian - 2x
Paladins - 1x

Draigo and the Librarian give you two chances to cast Hammerhand which you'll need to insta gib the TWC with your daemonhammers. You still have one more opportunity to cast Hammerhand with your Paladins should the first two attempts fail. It's all about those S10 hammer attacks insta gibbing the TWC !! By the odds you should pass at least one test for Hammerhand out of three attempts and get past the Rune Staff.

Be very careful with the Librarian as you could easily use his two spells for Shrouding and Sanctuary during your opponent's turn. Shrouding is a Must Use power if you're getting hammered by shooting such as lascannons and meltaguns. Sanctuary is not one that is absolutely necessary unless you believe there is a really good chance the TWC is far enough away they'll fail their difficult terrain test and not reach assault. THunderwolves are much faster than Paladins so there is a good chance you'll have to brace for the enemy charge - as such if you receive the charge then you can't cast Might of Titans since it only works in your own assault phase. If you cast Sanctuary and the Shrouding then that's one less attempt at Hammerhand if the wolves do get the charge so be careful and think about it.

This example also shows why the Brotherhood Banner is a Must Have for your Paladins... The 1+ attack for the daemonhammers will pay off big time and each wound that gets past a stormshield save means another dead wolf. Versus TWC activating your force weapons is not as powerful as the S10 daemonhammers. You'll score more wounds with the hammers and if you decide to use the Paladins' psychic test to activate their force weapons then you can't use Hammerhand as you have to wait until there is an enemy unsaved wound. Versus Thrakka and a mob of Nobz you'll want to activate the force weapons and kill the Nobz before they can swing their power klawz.

Pro Tip
So how to deal with that Bear Lord ? Well that's why you've got Draigo. Use him to tie up the Bear Lord, score more wounds overall and break the wolves in melee... You can't sweeping advance since your unit is in terminator armor so once they have broken then shoot them up and try not to let them regroup. Often I will break Draigo off from my Paladins so he can use his Fearlessness to tarpit the Bear Lord when I see the TWC will be in a position to charge the next turn.