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Thursday, November 05, 2015

Rebirth of MSU • White Scars Gladius Strike Force (1850)


It's really no secret - the many small units (MSU) concept and theory of army play is back en vogue for competitive play. MSU features many small units which is a natural counter to things we hate such as strength D. MSU is the polar opposite of the deathstar. Formations such as Gladius Strike Force and the Ravenwing Strike Force are perfectly suited for this style of play with the big plus of the special formation bonuses. You will see MSU more and more as this concept continues to be revitalized again. The basic tenant is if you have many units it's impossible for the opponent to destroy them all before the end of game. Gladius Strike Force offers the advantage that every unit is objective secured and transports are free (not including upgrades).

Deathstar armies saw a big resurgence in sixth edition with the release of eldar and Tau... A highly mobile unkillable unit was required to negate all the shooting these two xenos armies can unleash. If you've ever played against serpent spam then you understand. DraigoStar was developed as a natural counter to serpent spam.

Personally I'm not a huge of fan of MSU but it's counters to xenos strength D and the new Tau Hunter Cadre formation cannot be underestimated as it neutralises both of these. MSU is also a great template for armies such as dark eldar so it's not limited solely to power armor. MSU doesn't work for horde armies such as Orks and Tyranids since they need mass to be effective... In fact the horde approach is not competitive now with the current rule set and power level of armies such as eldar, Necrons and Tau.

So here is an army list I created based on what I've seen that is competitive at events like BAO and NOVA:

+++ GSF (White Scars) (1799) +++

++ Space Marines: Codex (2015) (Gladius Strike Force) (1799) ++



Chapter Tactics * White Scars

+ Core (1515) +

1st Battle Demi Company * (765)
Rules:
Objective Secured
Tactical Flexibility

Kor'sarro Khan (150) - Bolt Pistol - Moonfang - Moondrakkan

Assault Squad (110)
4x Space Marine - 2x Flamer
Space Marine Sergeant - Combat Shield - Eviserator
Drop Pod - Storm Bolter

Devastator Squad (165)
Armorium Cherub
4x Space Marine - 2x Grav-Cannon and Grav-Amp
Space Marine Sergeant - Bolt Pistol - Combi-Grav - Melta Bombs - Signum
Rhino - Dozer Blade - Storm Bolter

Tactical Squad (90)
4x Space Marine - Flamer
Space Marine Sergeant - Bolt Pistol - Combi-Flamer - Melta Bombs
Drop Pod - Storm Bolter

Tactical Squad (125)
4x Space Marine - Grav-Cannon and Grav-Amp
Space Marine Sergeant - Bolt Pistol - Combi-Grav - Melta Bombs
Rhino - Dozer Blade - Storm Bolter

Tactical Squad (125)
4x Space Marine - Grav-Cannon and Grav-Amp
Space Marine Sergeant - Bolt Pistol - Combi-Grav - Melta Bombs
Rhino - Dozer Blade - Storm Bolter

Profiles:
Kor'sarro Khan (Moondrakkan): Unit Type: Bike
|WS:6|BS:5|S:4|T:5|W:3|I:5|A:3|Ld:10|Save:3+|

Space Marine Sergeant: Unit Type: Infantry
|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:4|W:1|I:4|A:1|Ld:8|Save:3+|

Space Marines: Unit Type: Infantry
|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:4|W:1|I:4|A:1|Ld:8|Save:3+|

Drop Pod: Type:Vehicle (Open-Topped, Transport)
|BS:4|Front:12|Side:12|Rear:12|HP:3|

Rhino: Type:Vehicle (Tank, Transport)
|BS:4|Front:11|Side:11|Rear:10|HP:3|

Combat Shield : Confers a 6+ invulnerable save.

Dozer Blade : Vehicles equipped with dozer blades treat their front armour as one higher than normal when ramming. Furthermore, the vehicle can re-roll dailed Dangerous Terrain tests.

Grav-Amp: When rolling to wound with a grav-weapon, or to determine the effect on a vehicle, the bearer may re-roll the result.

Iron Halo: An iron halo confers a 4+ invulnerable save.

Searchlight : If a vehicle has a searchlight, it can, after firing all of its weapons choose to illuminate its target with the searchlight. If it does so, it also illuminates itself. Illumination lasts until the end of the following turn. Illuminated units gain no benefit from the Night Fighting special rule.

Signum: At the start of the Shooting phase, a model with a signum can choose to use it instead of shooting. If he does so, one model in his unit is Ballistic Skill 5 for the remainder of the Shooting phase. Declare that the signum is being used before any rolls To hit are made.

Smoke Launchers: Once per game, instead of shooting or moving flat out, may gain a 5+ cover save.


2nd Battle Demi Company * (750)
Rules:
Objective Secured
Tactical Flexibility

Chaplain (140) - Auspex - Crozius Arcanum - Power Fist - Space Marine Bike

Assault Squad (110)
4x Space Marine - 2x Flamer
Space Marine Sergeant - Combat Shield - Eviserator
Drop Pod - Storm Bolter

Devastator Squad (165)
Armorium Cherub
4x Space Marine - 2x Grav-Cannon and Grav-Amp
Space Marine Sergeant - Bolt Pistol - Combi-Grav - Melta Bombs - Signum
Rhino - Dozer Blade - Storm Bolter

Tactical Squad (90)
4x Space Marine - Flamer
Space Marine Sergeant - Bolt Pistol - Combi-Flamer - Melta Bombs
Drop Pod - Storm Bolter

Tactical Squad (125)
4x Space Marine - Grav-Cannon and Grav-Amp
Space Marine Sergeant - Bolt Pistol - Combi-Grav - Melta Bombs
Rhino - Dozer Blade - Storm Bolter

Tactical Squad (125)
4x Space Marine - Grav-Cannon and Grav-Amp
Space Marine Sergeant - Bolt Pistol - Combi-Grav - Melta Bombs
Rhino - Dozer Blade - Storm Bolter

Profiles:
Chaplain (Space Marine Bike): Unit Type: Bike
|WS:5|BS:4|S:4|T:5|W:2|I:4|A:2|Ld:10|Save:3+|

Auspex: Forego shooting to make an enemy unit within 12" reduce it's cover save by 1, untill the end of the phase. This does not count as choosing a target for his unit to shoot at.


+ Auxiliary (284) +

10th Company Task Force * (284)
Rules:
Concealed Positions
The Trap is Sprung

Scout Squad (100)
4x Scout - 4x Close Combat Weapon
Scout Sergeant - Bolt Pistol - Close Combat Weapon - Melta Bombs
Land Speeder Storm - Cerberus Launcher - Heavy Flamer

Scout Squad (100)
4x Scout - 4x Close Combat Weapon
Scout Sergeant - Bolt Pistol - Close Combat Weapon - Melta Bombs
Land Speeder Storm - Cerberus Launcher - Heavy Flamer

Scout Squad (84)
4x Scout - [Camo Cloaks - Missile Launcher (Frag & Krak) - 3x Sniper Rifle
Scout Sergeant - Bolt Pistol - Sniper Rifle

Profiles:
Scout: Unit Type: Infantry
|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:4|W:1|I:4|A:1|Ld:8|Save:4+|

Scout Sergeant: Unit Type: Infantry
|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:4|W:1|I:4|A:1|Ld:8|Save:4+|

Land Speeder Storm: Type:Vehicle (Skimmer, Fast, Open-Topped, Transport)
BS:4|Front:10|Side:10|Rear:10|HP:2|

Camo Cloak: Increase cover save by 1, if no cover grants a 6+ cover save.

++ Selection Rules ++
Master of the Hunt:
If Kor'sarro Khan is your Warlord, friendly White Scars models that have the Bike unit type, or are embarked on a Rhino or Razorback have the Scout special rule.

In addition, if Kor'sarro Khan slays the enemy Warlord in a challenge, you immediately score D3 extra Victory Points.

Prey's Bane:
When attacking with a weapon with this special rule, a To Wound roll of 6 causes a Wound regardless of the targets Toughness. This Wound is resolved with the Instant Death special rule.


The total model count is 67 Marines and 12 vehicles.

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