10th Edition Black Templars

 

10th Edition has been kind to the Black Templars, the Emperor’s own Holy Bearzerkers. I’m here to highlight some of the top tips and combos for playing this faction in the new edition.

The first subject to discuss is their inherent resiliency. While we have lost faction wide 5++ invulnerable save and mini-Transhuman Pyshiology, the vow Uphold the Honor of the Emperor (UtHoftE) now provides an army wide 6+++ Feel No Pain (FNP) and a leadership characteristic of 5+. 5+ is about as good as it gets, on the same level as the Primarchs. It’s important to note that the previous version of this vow had a big negative aspect, that is, no cover saves were allowed. Now there is an abundance of cover, and it’s no longer limited to just infantry… this is a big deal. We also have access to the 1 CP stratagem Armor of Contempt, which worsens the AP of enemy attacks by -1 for the chosen phase. Stacked with a cover save, that’s -2. Yesterday versus Astra Militarum I did not lose one model in my 20 man Primaris Crusader Squad (PCS) with Grimaldus and his Cenobite Servitors attached for a sweet 5+++ FNP, shrugging off over 20 wounds taken from two Basilisks. The new version of Tännhauser’s Bones, which is an Enhancements, also grants a 5+++ FNP to the unit to which the character is attached if you select the vow UtHotE. So, it’s possible to run two units with the 5+++!

The 20 man PCS is back with a vengeance and better than ever… models with chainswords have five base attacks and models with powerfists have three base attacks, and now hit on 3+. Grimaldus always grants reroll hits. It’s possible to boost the chainswords to AP3 and the powerfists to AP4, select the Temple Relic Scepter of the Anointing coupled with the Crusader’s Wrath 1 CP stratagem. If you really want to turn the blob into a real blender use the 1 CP stratagem Fervent Acclamation so the you can switch the squad over to the vow Suffer Not the Unclean to Live for lethal hits (that is, a 6 to hit automatically wounds). You can fish for 6s rerolling hits due to Grimaldus’ Litany of the Devout. You should easily be able to drop a Knight on the charge.

The Primaris Sword Brethren Squad (PSB) is another big winner as well. Each Sword Brother now sports three wounds and the Castellan (squad sergeant equivalent) can field a master-crafted power sword hitting on 2+. Their vow sworn Bladesmen ability allows them to add +1 damage to their melee attacks, which translates over to an attached character as well. The Helbrecht Bomb features our epic Marshal leading the squad, whom grants unmodified rolls of 5+ confer Critical Hits… again use the 1 CP stratagem Fervent Acclamation so the you can switch the squad over to the vow Suffer Not the Unclean to Live for lethal hits (that is, a 5 to hit automatically wounds). This squad is another murder ball as well.

That’s all for now to get our brothers started off in the right foot. My next tactica will cover best choices for serious tank hunting ranged firepower.

S M A S H - Aggro Anti Knight List (2000pts)

Battle-Forged [3CP]

++ Supreme Command Detachment +1CP (Blood Angels) ++

Armoury of Baal


+ HQ [408pts] +

Captain [124pts]: Storm Shield - Thunderhammer (The Angel's Wing) /Warlord ~ Artisan of War

Captain [6 PL, 124pts]: Jump Pack - Storm Shield (The Hammer of Baal)

Chief Librarian Mephiston [160pts]


++ Supreme Command Detachment +1CP (Space Wolves) ++

Trophies of Fenris

+ HQ [399pts] +

Rune Priest [151pts]: Combi-Melta - Jump Pack - Psychic Hood - Runic Armour - Runic Axe

Wolf Lord [124pts]: Jump Pack - Storm Shield - Thunderhammer (The Wulfen Stone)

Wolf Lord [124pts]: Jump Pack - Storm Shield - Thunderhammer


++ Vanguard Detachment +1CP (Adeptus Custodes) ++

Open the Vaults

+ HQ [345pts] +

Captain-General Trajann Valoris [185pts]

Shield-Captain on Dawneagle Jetbike (Auric Aquilis)

+ Elites [538pts] +

Allarus Custodians [237pts]
3x Allarus Custodian - Castellan Axe

Custodian Wardens [183]
3x Warden - Castellan Axe - Misericordia

Vexillus Praetor [118pts]:
Castellan Axe - Misericordia - Vexilla Magnifica

+ Fast Attack [100pts] +

Pallas Grav-Attack (Beta) [100pts]:
Twin Arachnus Blaze Cannon

+ Heavy Support [210pts] +

Caladius Grav-tank (Beta) [210pts]:
Twin Illiastus Accelerator Cannon - Twin Lastrum Bolt Cannon

++ Total: [1CP - 2000pts] ++

Deathwatch Storm Shields for Days - Making Vets Tank Better

I have been playing Deathwatch since the new codex dropped for Eighth Edition and in my opinion they are the best Space Marine codex now. Hellfire rounds wounding on 2+ (i.e., special issue ammo) rerolling 1s with storm bolters is brutal. Veteran squads can spam storm bolters which are Rapid Fire 2 which is 4 shots at 12" or less range. They melt away enemy chaff real fast.

Here’s my optimized build for a standard Deathwatch Veteran Squad:

Watch Sergeant - Storm Bolter & Power Axe
Black Shield - Storm Bolter & Storm Shield
Veteran - Storm Bolter & Storm Shield
Veteran - Storm Bolter & Chainsword
Veteran - Infernus Heavy Bolter
Veteran - Deathwatch Frag Cannon
Terminator - Storm Bolter & Power Axe

This a seven man squad with five storm bolters - 20 shots in rapid fire range wounding on 2+ due to Hellfire rounds via Special Issue Ammo (SIA). Use Mission Tactic to reroll 1s to wound. Watch Captains or a Watch Master grants the buff aura to reroll missed hits... that’s a lot of wounds no matter how you roll it.

The Black Shield allows the squad to heroically intervene and they have a lot of attacks for melee making them an excellent counter punch unit. It’s all about good placement using a good screen such as Space Scouts from another detachment. The Terminator has two base wounds along with the 2+ armor save plus the 5++ invulnerable save, helping the squad to efficiently tank wounds along with the two storm shields. The Infernus Heavy Bolter provides longer range dakka and can use the Hellfire strategem to inflict d3 mortal wounds. Couple the flamer with the frag cannon as an anti melee deterrent when on overwatch. You can also sneak in the Tempest Shell strategem for d3 more mortal wounds. This squad is super killy and can deep strike to protect against an enemy alpha strike.

Making Ultramarine Great Again sans Bobby G

First want to say I don’t use Guilliman and if you do it’s just another Bobby G gun line. Sure the Imperial Primarch is absolutely amazing but as it turns out there are other top notch HQs to choose from for Ultramarines. The points you save can go towards fully fleshing out your army list to keep it competitive in the ever changing meta. I like to build anti meta lists that rely upon synergy between various units and well developed sound tactics. It takes more time and practice to craft an Ultramarine army that does not rely upon Roboute but it can be done. One of the major drawbacks I see inherent to the gun line archetype is its fairly static and if you play in large tournaments such as those run by ITC your army needs to be mobile for optimization to score the maximum amount of points possible. While Maelstrom style missions can be a lot of fun if you like to draw for completely random objectives the missions you’ll see at major events are more in line with Eternal War style - you have a clear set of options to choose from to score objectives.

- Plasma

Plasma is to 8th edition for Space Marines what graviton was to 7th edition. S8/S9 AP4 straight 2 damage with excellent range makes things go away real quick. You’ll notice as review this article I use a lot of ranged plasma weapons for these very reasons.

- HQ and Support Character Selection

My go-to HQ (Warlord) for Ultramarines is Marneus Calgar, their old school original Chapter Master. Marneus has some great buffs and auras plus he’s a real beat stick in melee serving a dual role just like Roboute, providing a stiff deterrent to enemy units that venture too close to your battle lines. Another good choice is the Primaris Captain in Gravis Armor with a boltstorm gauntlet and master-crafted power sword from the Dark Imperium box set. If you have the command points to spare the Primaris Captain can be upgraded to Chapter Master saving a considerable amount of points plus he has the same number of wounds (6) as Calgar and is T5 as well. It’s worth mentioning the master-crafted power sword inflicts a straight damage of two wounds. Marneus has the BIG advantage that he hits on 2+ in melee with the rerolls since his Gauntlets of Ultramar aren’t unwieldy and can swing combat in your favor when he’s slugging away at high toughness enemy units. Calgar also provide two additional command points for battle-forged armies which is a big deal - that’s inherent additional 5 command points! Finally Marneus benefits from the new style Eternal Warrior only ever suffering half damage due to his awesome suit of armor shrugging off wounds like a true champ from enemy lascannons and what not.

Next you need some support characters for additional buffs and my first choice is always Tigurius, Chief Librarian of the Ultramarines. One of his special rules, Master of Prescience, grants an Ultramarines unit within 6" -1 to hit at the start of the enemy shooting phase. If you combine this with the Librarius psychic power Might of Heroes for +1T then suddenly your Redemptor dreadnaught, Repulsor or Agressors are a whole heck of a lot harder to kill. Tigurius can also reroll failed psychic tests and deny twice which gives him a big leg up over any other Librarian. Tigurius is still one of the best psykers in the game and you really need a Librarian to deny enemy psychic powers and reliably cast Smite when you really need to finish off an enemy unit. My other two favorite psychic powers are Null Zone and Veil of Time - Chaos hates on both of these for obvious reasons... heh !

I also regularly field an Apothecary - Primaris Space Marine units have two wounds per model - he helps keep those deadly units like Hellblasters pumping out shots. Another excellent choice is an Ancient which again synergizes very well with Hellblasters... even in death they can still serve for one last fleeting moment. I always take the Standard of the Emperor Ascendent for the greater reliability, it’s well worth it.

See Vindicare Assassin below (via auxiliary support detachment).

- Troops

I am a big of the new Primaris Space Marines and they always serve me well. Chapter Approved was very kind to Primaris Space Marines in general making them even more viable now ! My go-to troop choice is a five to six man squad of Intercessors with the stock bolt rifles (30" range rapid-fire AP1), auxiliary grenade launcher and a power sword for the sergeant. I have come to find that this particular build has made tactical Marines irrelevant to the competitive game - Intercessors are both robust and versatile as are all Primaris Space Marine units in general due to their inherent characteristics. A five man squad is very easy to hide and camp on objectives. They can also dish out the pain in melee versus enemy troops. The grenade launcher is your special weapon with 30" range and a nice selection of ammo such as the krak grenade - S6, AP1 and straight 2 damage.

Next is the tried and true scout squad. You need scouts to serve as a screen to effectively deny the enemy alpha strike. My favorite build is five scouts with camo cloaks for the 2+ armor save in cover, four sniper rifles and a heavy bolter. The heavy bolter is a reliable means to inflict mortal wounds when needed using the Hellfire stratagem while the sniper rifles occasionally score mortal wounds. This squad also synergizes well with the Vindicare Assassin and serves as a fairly resilient meat shield. Scouts are very flexible with more options as compared to tactical Marines and cost less points. Vindicares hit and wound on 2+ inflicting d3 wounds, ignoring invulnerable saves and cover plus AP3 coupled with 60" range. A tandem can take out an enemy character easily in one shooting phase.

Finally it’s important to note that since Intercessors are more robust (i.e., 2 wounds per model) they don’t need to castle up with your core and can serve as a vanguard if necessary. This makes your army more mobile and in turn versatile.

- Heavy Support

To me this slot is the most important and vital when designing a truly competitive army list. My first choice is a six man squad of Hellblasters with the stock plasma incinerator - 30" range rapid-fire, S8 AP4 straight 2 damage when overcharging. Hellblasters make enemy units disappear real fast - to me they are the best heavy support unit for Space Marines. Hellblasters can move and shoot as opposed to a unit such as Devastators giving them another very distinct advantage.

Another great choice is the Predator tank with the Predator cannon turret and lascannon sponsons. It’s fairly cheap points-wise for what it has to offer giving your army the much needed high X long range fire power.

Finally I’ll mention the Repulsor - sure it’s a lot of points but it can lay down the most devastating rounds of fire power when fully loaded and is very survivable - T8 and 16 wounds - it’s the Primaris version of the land raider and is superior in every way. The Repulsor is a grav tank and has the keyword Fly so your opponent can’t easily box it in unlike other tanks on treads. It is a lot of points but every point is worth it due to all its amazing fire power. The grav tank also has the repulsor field which causes a penalty of -2" to enemy units attempting to charge it. Mine has more than once killed multiple enemy units attempting to charge it during one assault phase on overwatch - hilarious !!!

- Elites

Elites are another important slot. My two favorites are the Redemptor dreadnaught fully loaded including the macro plasma incinerator and Agressors. The Redemptor is a true heavy hitter with base 13 wounds. The macro plasma incinerator is S9 AP4 straight two damage when super charging and 36" range plus the 8" move. Aggressors are the Primaris TEQ unit with superior fire power. Aggressors along with Marneus Calgar protect your core and thus serve a vital role.

- Fast Attack

Fast attack is required to make your army more mobile. My go-to choice is a five man squad of Inceptors armed with plasma exterminators. Each gun is d3 shots (2 per Inceptor) for an average of ten shots at 18" range with the sweet 10" move. I feel five are necessary to make them robust and survivable - they are actually superior to Ravenwing Dark Knights if you do the math hammer and can deep strike. Both units are T5 with 2 wounds per model. It’s best to keep this unit out of melee so they can keep shooting, which is what they do best... that said the have the keyword Fly and have the Ultramarines chapter tactic (redundant in this case) so if they are charged by enemy unit they can fall back and keep pulling the triggers.

- Flyers

My go-to flyer is the Stormhawk Interceptor armed with missile launcher, las-talons and assault cannons. This is another highly mobile unit that can lay down lots of suppressing fire power, able to reach a bunkered enemy fire base and annihilate them. This flyer is +1 to versus enemy units with the keyword Fly, which is just evil in and of itself.

- Chapter Tactics

This is why Ultramarines are simply the best now... they can fall back and still shoot. Eighth edition is the most shooty version of the game yet so the more you can shoot the better your odds of winning... shrug off an enemy charge, fall back and pull the trigger again. Raven Guard and Salamanders have solid chapter Tactics as well but Ultramarines are simply the best for these very reasons given.

- Conclusion

So there you have it. Space Marines are still a very competitive army and I’ve provided a detailed list of my most tried and true units, the right Primaris Space Marines units combined with as much ranged plasma you can cram into your army list. My list is not wholly Primaris though and I think that approach is a road to pure folly. There are still plenty of the pre existing Space Marine units such as those I’ve listed above you can draw from to buff your army.... Ultramarines for days !!!

Black Legion Tactica Part 3 - Abbadon

Hello everyone it’s BBF here again with my third installment of Black Legion tactica. Terminators and Land Raiders - go big or just go home ! This past weekend I had a thrilling game versus the new Astra Militarum (Cadians). Lots of Russes, Baneblade and some boots on the ground. Expect to see more Leman Russes... they are the new hotness since GW has buffed them considerably now with some crazy stratagems and tasty special orders. A Baneblade rerolling all missed hits and failed wounds is a frightening thing to behold indeed.

I took a lot of heavy losses early on but some of my key units hung in their til the bitter end and made a game out of it. I made one silly mistake which cost me the win but it was still very close right down to the last dice roll. The new IG could very well be the top codex for now and it’ll be interesting to see what happens with the soon to release new eldar codex.

I’ve been playing Black Legion exclusively for some time while I assemble and paint my new Primaris Space Marine army. During this period I’ve tweaked my original army list such as using different Marks of Chaos for my terminator squads in order to buff them with the appropriate stratagems... it’s paying some dividends too.

I’m not going to lie, this can be a tough army to play so if you want an easy net list like Chaos or Imperial Soup this might be a good point to stop and think about why you play what you do. I have always been into anti meta armies. I do have to say after watching a VLOG by VisiCast that adding some blob to your army can be a really good thing and is well proven ... as pointed out by VisiCast the blob element can make the game more complex which is good but there should be natural counters just for overall balance. The thing is that the very best competitive players strive to break the meta rather than emulating it - change is constant.

This article focuses on how to get the most out of Abbadon, arguably the best current melee specialist in the game. First I take the Warlord trait that generate an extra wound to his base number and he can ignore any wound on the roll of a 6. Abbadon buffs your Chaos terminators making them unbreakable and reroll all missed hits... he does a lot of work if played correctly. Abbadon also has the new Eternal Warrior halving damage taken. He can still be quite fragile but if well played can decimate an opponent’s army.

Abbadon has the keywords for every Mark of Chaos granting him access to a number of very strong stratagems, such as attacking twice in a row (Khorne) and regenerating lost wounds (Nurgle). You must play smart to protect him and I take a Sorcerer for the sweet sweet psychic buffs such as improving his invulnerable save up to 3++ and Warp Time to ensure he will make the key game winning charges. It’s important to note he has the new Eternal Warrior rule with cuts wounds inflicted in half. You can also just use him to buff your shooty units rerolling all failed to hit rolls which is one of the things that makes Guilliman so good.

Abbadon is armed with not one but two very deadly melee weapons. The Talon doubles his strength plus he also has the daemon weapon Drachyen which grants d6 extra attacks... he has the ability to land a lot of punches, hitting on 2+ with rerolls. As such Abbadon can destroy any enemy unit including even super heavies. A great stratagem to pop versus super tough enemy units is the +1 to wound.

Deployment is critical for this army. Use line of sight blocking terrain when you can. You must survive long enough to ensure hit the enemy line. Make sure your Land Raiders use some cover when possible to improve their saves... it can make a huge difference. The Land Raiders provide long range powerful shooting that can shuttle your terminators into key positions. As good as Land Raiders are there are plenty of armies that destroy one first turn if your deployment is sloppy - they must be deployed for the +1 cover save against these types of armies even if you are going first to counter a first turn seize versus strong alpha strike armies such as the new Astra Militarum.

This type of army must literally be played reverse to the currently popular blob armies. Missions such as NOVA and the new ITC missions allow you to pick objectives that force your opponent to come to you ... this is pure gold versus blob and denies them their inherent strengths. You have super killing power but literally no bubble wrap. If you do go first which is to your advantage you can Alpha Strike using the tactics I’ve covered in these three articles. Elite armies have the advantage to go first using the new ITC missions but you must hedge your game which goes back to deployment, otherwise you’re betting the farm on a single dice roll wguch is literally too scary for me... I’d rather be able to weather the first turn storm then beta strike to maximum effect. Black Legion can do this extremely well if you have the necessary maturity.

My next article will cover the Forgeworld exploits which takes this army over the top.

Horus Heresy Tactica - Allied Blood Angels

This might be a repeat article but one well worth repeating and this time I'll try my best to provide more detailed information.

Adding an allied detachment to your main force is a good method to spice up your army and shore up some abilities. I've always been a big fan of Blood Angels and love what they've got so far for the Horus Heresy. While Blood Angels as a Legion do not have a full set of rules yet with special characters and special units they do have their own Leguon rules and some special wargear, both of which are full on win ! I have built the following allied detachment to fight along side my Templars:

Consul - Chaplain (Hatred, Fearless & Fear)
Jump Pack - Artificer Armor - Inferno Pistol - Melta Bombs - Blade of Perdition

Apothecary
Jump Pack - Power Sword

9x Assault Marine - Jump Packs - Power Axe - Power Sword
Sergeant - Jump Pack - Artificer Armor - Inferno Pistol - Melta Bombs - Power Fist

Leviathan Dreadnaught
Ceramite Armor - Extra Armor - Phosphex Discharger - Grav Flux Bombard - Siege Claw w. Built-In Meltagun - 2x Assault Cannon
Dreadnaught Drop Pod

Note that I run a Knight-Errant as an HQ for Templars with a jump pack and narcethium who joins the combined BA squad (Chaplain, Apothecary and Assault Marines). They can deep strike together, do not scatter and can only be snap fired by the enemy the turn after they arrive... so you can put them in a key location and they are very survivable. The Knight-Errant is also a level 2 psyker whom I use to cast blessings on my Templars. The Blood Angels combined infantry unit are actually designed to hunt armor primarily rather than melee versus enemy combat units. Of course being jump infantry they are very fast which combines well with my Templars. They can pick off weaker enemy units such as tactical Marines if need be.

We all know just how great is the Leviathan now - he comes down turn one and is a dakka monster the first turn... more so with the pair of assault cannons.

Repost • New Wulfen Army Tactics via the French Overlord

I don't repost a lot but these tactics are smoking super red hawt !!!

French Overlord Uber Wolfkin Tactica

Dreadnaught 101

Hey everybody it's your friendly neighborhood Black Blow Fly swinging through your neck of the woods to spread some holiday cheer and mischief ! A lot of people say the dreadnaught is no longer competitive with all the xenos monstrous creatures that are so popular these days. The thought is that a dreadnaught can be one shotted which while true is something that can be mitigated. If you think about it dreadnaughts are about as close as you can get to a monstrous creature for Space Marines.

So let's take a look at the dreadnaught and see what is has to offer and what can make it competitive. It has its strengths and weaknesses like any other unit... The right build and possibly a transport can make them truly shine.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths
If you play Space Marines you know the basic dreadnaught got a nice boost with four base attacks now - this was a great buff - first and foremost S10 AP2 is no joke, especially when striking at initiative. This is a natural counter to deathstars, Imperial Knights, other super heavies and monstrous creatures... Even the mighty gargantuan must take heed.

There are several variants that stand above the rest:

• Contemptor (Forgeworld)
• Furioso
• Ironclad
• Leviathan (Forgeworld)

All of these chassis have a fundamental component in common:

Front armor 13 which is what opposing models strike against in melee. The Ironclad and new Leviathan also have side armor 13 which is huge as a lot of armies really struggle versus this level and is impervious to the majority of ranged weapons. The Contemptor and Leviathan also have an invulnerable save which is huge in itself.



Both the Contemptor and Leviathan are from Forgeworld with lots of options for a high degree of customization... You pay for what you get. My standard Chaos Contemptor always has a heavy conversion beamer which can drop a S10 AP1 large blast - place it on the back line and in a corner if necessary to maximize range... It can easily earn back its points. I remember one sixth edition game versus Tau in which the Contemptor almost single handily beat a highly optimized army.

The Mortis pattern Contemptor with dual Kheres assault cannons is another monster - 12 BS5 shot at S6 that rend - plus it has free access to Skyfire as well.

The new Leviathan is truly a beast in close combat and can even take out gargantuan creatures... That's pretty amazing !!! It's siege claw can generate additional wounds in close combat which gives it the ability to go toe to toe with super big baddies such as even a Wraithknight. The Leviathan has the equivalent of assault grenades and strikes at initiative 5. It also has a 4++ invulnerable save and access to immunity to ranged melta weapons via Ceramite Plates. 4 hull points is also another big plus. This is the most survivable walker... Sure it's a lot of points but you get it all back in spades.

The best build for The Furioso is a frag cannon and heavy flamer - two S6 rending templates followed up with a heavy flamer template. This weaponry provides you direct access to ignoring cover saves... The drop pod for delivery is the way to go with this one.

There is another walker that should be mentioned - the Soul Grinder which also falls into this tier and has an invulnerable save as well. While it's technically not a dreadnaught it's basically the same thing with its own unique rules.

Finally there is the Maulerfiend which has become quite popular with the advent of Khorne Daemonkin. While extremely fast with a 12" move its armor 12 and like the Soul Grinder has WS3 which basically halves it's number of attacks in melee. They are good at what they do and fairly cheap for what you get but not my style.

Monstrous creatures tend to struggle versus armor 13 in melee since most are base S6... this means they must use Smash attack (S10) which is only one attack. I have seen a single dreadnaught hold up a host of dark eldar Talos for several turns while slowly whittling them down. To me this is a big deal if properly exploited.

Basically you have to decide if you want your dreadnaught geared for melee or shooting - some can do both quite well too. I tend to for the combination which makes them more versatile.

Weaknesses
As I mentioned earlier the biggest weakness is one shot can destroy any dreadnaught. The melta bomb is also really bad news which bypasses Ceramite Plates. They are also slow. The good news is these cons can be mitigated to a strong degree if yours willing to invest in the right transport which brings us to our next subject...

How to deliver the Dreadnaught

If you go big then you go strong. A basic drop pod is the bare minimum standard required to get them where you need them. My philosophy is in for a penny in for a pound... Lucius pattern drop pods, the Dreadclaw and Stormraven are your best options. The beauty of the latter two transports is they are both flyers and can deliver the dreadnaught directly into melee.



I often run two Mortis pattern Contemptors with the dual Kheres assault cannons, both riding in separate Dreadclaws, for my 30k Sons of Horus army. You can take them in a talon which means they both arrive the same turn. They seem to always do something spectacular.

Favorite Builds

Chaos Contemptor - Extra armor - Heavy conversion beamer - DCCW with plasma blaster - Havoc missile launcher - Dedication to Khorne

He is not cheap but he has never failed to impress and has won many games for me. He actually does not require a transport due to range of his primary weapon.

Leviathan - Siege Claw (inbuilt meltagun) - Storm cannon - Armored Ceramite

Conclusion

A lot of people will tell you that the dreadnaught is not competitive but I have seen them do very well. It is an investment in points to get the most out of a dreadnaught and they are suited towards particular types of armies. The Forgeworld models are really awesome looking and fun to play... so check it out.

New Tau

I want to say up front I welcome the new Tau with open arms including the Forgeworld monstrosity Taunar and the new gargantuan Surgetide. This could possibly be the end of my Ravenwing as a competitive army - that would be a really short life for something I sank a lot of money into and really love to play... But so what. Dark Angels were my first army, I started playing at the beginning of third edition. Somehow I feel that Ravenwing will remain strong and I'm not worried about it.

People say the game has devolved to Apocalypse which is true in many regards but I want to stay current and play the game by the book. Space Marines got everything I wanted plus some so I won't begrudge the Tau or rain on their parade. There will always be new armies that shake up the meta and force us to change whether or not we like it. We need to stop crying, grow a pair and deal with it. It's time for tactics to come back to the game again.

The gargantuan Surgetide is looking like a true beast and I really like the looks of the model - I think it'll be very popular and bring Tau back to the tables. It's received mixed reviews all the way from craptastic to totally over the top OP. Back in sixth edition I learn how to beat four Riptides with Chaos Space Marines... I can do it again. Every time we change a rule or ban a unit it makes us all collectively weaker as players. It's a really sad state of affairs to see vocal minorities petitioning TOs to fix the game and it's a lose-lose scenario. Playing the game should be about just that - playing the game. Things change, it's what it is.

So give the new Tau a chance before you immediately throw in the towel and threaten to quit a game you love. You don't need anyone to hold your hand for you... It'll be alright.

Are tactics a thing of the past ?

I read this over on Dakka Dakka:

"These days, the only skill required in 40k is list building. All you need to do is look at your list and see if it'll be able to defeat scatbikes and wraiths. The match was over the moment you decided on your list. The tactics forums are full of nothing but armylists and unit comparisons. There is nothing relating to movement, deployments, flanks, distance, cover, etc. There is no glory in winning a 40k tournament. You had the most meta list, that's all."

I don't agree with this line of thinking for primarily the following reason... Suppose there are two gamers of equivalent skill both playing top tier lists taken from the Internet and assuming it's not a mirror match. The two army lists versus each other have their own strengths and weaknesses that can be exploited. You can simply watch video battle reports to learn all the tricks but I think the following holds true:

The player who has played the most games versus a wide variety of different armies stands to have the best odds of winning barring bad dice. This is because that player will be the most intimately familiar with their army and have developed solid tactics to counter other top builds. The other player that solely relies upon their army list to win will be hard pressed to adapt to the game at hand. Some people will still claim there are no tactics involved but in truth they are wrong and simply don't want to admit it for whatever reason.

Claiming there are no tactics is a cop out plain and simple.

Battle Company and what people are doing wrong

I see a lot of battle company armies and they all suffer from the same intrinsic flaw. If you are losing assaults to Warp Spiders then all I can say is shame shame. Many people are making the same mistake... They want to go pure shooty. The army needs one dedicated melee unit that has real balls and can crush things like feeble Warp Spiders. Just think about it - if you have just one strong dedicated melee centric unit it acts as a deterrent to units such as Warp Spiders rampaging through your lines. The unit must be fast too so it can catch enemy units and crush them on the charge.

My answer is the following for the Lion's Blade BattLe Company:

Master - artificer armor - jump pack - storm shield - power fist - shroud of heroes

Interrogator Chaplain - jump pack - power fist

Assault Squad
7x Space Marine - jump packs - eviscerator
Sergeant - lightning claw

They are combined together and form a counter assault unit. They can be easily hidden behind transports and move quickly to intercept enemy melee units headed into your battle line. Sure it's a fair chunk of points which is offset by the free transports. Will it hold up to Thunderwolves - no but you have other answers to deal with those threats.

Think about it.

Eldar Killer List • Fighting Fire with Fire

This is an idea a friend approached me with to see if it's viable. The concept is to design a black list to destroy the new eldar. This is a pro active movement in counter to simply just complaining. What we know is that unrestricted the following units are the most popular so far...

• Windriders with scatter lasers (Scatbikes)

• Wraithknights

• Wraithguard

These are the units I think we will see get the most time on the table at first from competitive eldar players so we will focus on them first.

Windriders
The scatbikes are highly mobile and can throw down a ton of long range S6 fire power (up to 48"). These units are the objective secured units which grab objectives and mow down most any enemy unit suspestable to S6... Only T10 (e.g., Iron Armed Great Unclean One) and AV13+ is immune. Jetbikes have some inherent weaknesses such as leadership 8 - failed morale checks force them to fallback 3d6". One great counter is the new Space Wolf flyer with Hellfrost large blast which I have successfully used to counter Warp Spiders. The flyer puts the scatbikes on the defensive and force eldar to focus on it. The Heldrake is another excellent counter. If eldar are forced to bring more anti air to protect their scatbikes it helps to reduce their net sum.

Psychic Shriek combined with Terrify is also a major deterrent to scatbikes. Be'lakor, Severin Loth and Tigurius all can provide this combination. Be'lakor can be really good if well played and the Librarians can get the job done using drop pods or flyers with transport capacity.

Another great solution is the Typhon plus it can be very survivable if properly buffed. The Typhon has the range to pushback scatbikes, preventing them from going on the offensive.

We don't know yet what will be the optimal build for scatbike units in terms of number of Windriders per unit and total number of units so we will come back to this discussions as more prevailing data is available.


I will focus on the Wraith units in the next two articles in this series so stay tuned for more. This is how we have to think - being positive and willing to adapt. The good news is we already have all the tools we need.

Using multiple detachments

I had a fun game this past weekend versus Astra Militarum and ran the following 1850 point list:

- White Scars CAD -
Chapter Master - bike - artificer armor - shield eternal - power fist - auspex

Librarian - bike - armor Indomitus - force axe - meltabombs - level 2 (telepathy)

Command Squad - bikes - chapter banner - 4x Stormshield - 4x Grav gun - 4x meltabombs - power fist

5x Biker - 2x grav gun
Sergeant - combi grav - meltabombs
Attack Bike - multi-melta

5x Biker - 2x grav gun
Sergeant - combi grav - meltabombs
Attack Bike - multi-melta


- Space Wolves Champions of Fenris Detachment -
Wolf Lord - runic armor - stormshield - power fist

Rune Priest - bike - runic armor - force axe - meltabombs - level 2 (divination)

Iron Priest - bike

Iron Priest - bike

5x Grey Hunter - meltagun - power axe
Wolf Guard - Stormshield - frost axe
Drop Pod

It was a really fun list to play and as you can see I fielded more Space Wolves. This is just one of endless examples showing what you can do with more than one detachment. I enjoyed playing the army and might test it again. I ran three mini stars attaching the two Psykers to one bike squad, Chapter Master to the command squad and the two Iron Priests to the other biker squad. The Psyker biker squad was my MVP... Which had good old Invisibility plus I got Master of Ambush for my warlord trait.

40k Tutorial • Deployment 101

Hi everybody - it's your friendly neighborhood Black Blow Fly here with a basic bare bones tutorial for newer players to the game that want to play competitively in tournaments. No dirty tricks or underhanded tactics... Just some basic techniques that might help you improve your game. I was at the LVO this past weekend and watched several games at the top tables during the final day. There were some armies that made it based on skill rather than spamming or dropping the most broken stuff on the table which was refreshing to see.

Drop Pods and Null Deployment
Null deployment is a style in which you deploy nothing on the table. This means you must have some units that automatically arrive from reserve the first turn... Typically the more the better too. Drop pods can do this as well as can the Grey Knight Nemesis Strike Force (NSF).

One of the major advantages of this deployment is avoiding the alpha strike while being able to hit your opponent with the alpha strike. This style can do very well versus certain armies such as flying circus if you go first since you can shoot them while their flying monstrous creatures (FMCs) are still on the ground. It may also force your opponent to start some of their key units in reserve since they don't want to risk losing them the first turn.

A major drawback to null deployment is these types of armies have limited movement once they arrive. Serpent spam for example can jink then turbo boost away and run circles around you.

BikeStar
Space Marine biker armies have never been better than now. Of course the best chapter tactic for this style of army is White Scars:

- S5 Hammer of Wrath for bike squads
- Outflank and Scout if you take the Khan as your Warlord
- 3++ jink save
- Hit and Run

These are all huge advantages with no real drawbacks. Deploy all your units to overload the opponent... Bikes are hard to kill with T5 and the 3++ jink. If you don't take Khan you can turbo boost all your bikes the first turn... Often it's just as good if not better than the scout move.

This is a highly mobile army that can quickly decimate the enemy. I have found it's better to go with all biker units to play to the strength of the central theme. It can do well versus flying circus and flyer heavy armies since you'll always dominate the ground. Keep moving ! Versus flyers grav guns cause immobilization which automatically removes them from play if they roll a 1 or 2 on a d6... It sounds like a long shot but it's actually very efficient if you have enough grav guns and that's why I eschew mixing your special weapons with melta and plasma. Twin linked bolters can be brutal versus any unit they can wound. I run the attack bikes with multi-meltas to increase the odds versus heavily armored tanks and fortifications.

Defensive Deployment
As has been noted this is a very shooty game now. Never before can an army lay down so much fire power... Even more than the old leaf blower Imperial Guard... Whoops I meant to say Astra Militarum. Strangely enough assault armies can still win but they must be able to weather one to two turns of enemy shooting prior to locking horns and breaking off a piece. Heavy shooting has been augmented by ridiculous levels of cover saves often up to a 2++ if certain conditions are met such as night fighting or stealth in ruins.

The best cover is complete line of sight blocking then your only worry is barrage which is not all that prevalent except mainly for Thunderfire Cannons and Wvyerns which both can ignore cover. You can refuse flank versus barrage to keep out of their maximum range if necessary or even better deploy your units using the fire drill - every single model is at least two inches apart.

Defensive deployment is a must for dark eldar with their paper airplanes. Holding some of your units in reserve is another way to help avoid the alpha strike too... This is great for units that can outflank or are flyers (obviously). Your army must be properly designed from top to bottom for this style of play.

Conclusion
Deployment can make or break you. It is still one of the most important aspects to the game. A lot depends on who goes first or second but it's not as critical now since you don't have to move first to jink and casting psychic powers is a separate phase.

Deployment is often overlooked by players and they inevitably pay the hard price if they make mistakes and are sloppy. I didn't touch on things like fortifications since I never use them but they are tools to help you.

Remember that practice makes perfect. In time you'll get it down. Be focused.

Tyranid Adaptive Tactics Part 3. The New and Improved Mawloc

The new rules for Mawlocs has the potential to change the current meta but will require adaptive tactics to give consistent results. The Mawloc has seen a significant point reduction while also having become potentially much more powerful... You can now use it's deep strike attack (every model underneath its base takes a S6 AP2 hit) twice, which is better than twin linked, in one turn plus this now ignores cover. For example you can:

— Snipe an Ethereal tucked away inside a squad of Fire Warriors by careful placement of the large base,
— Nuke a squad of Broadsides, or
— Take out a squad of eldar jetbikes.

If your opponent places their models along their table edge to increase the odds of a mishap occurring then they are that much further away from your army which drastically reduces the effective range of their fire power.

Intercepting Tau units cannot stop the assault attack from occurring either plus Riptides won't be able to drop their pie plates when the Mawloc does not scatter or is minimally placed from its originating spot on the table.

Just the psychological threat of one Mawloc is enough to throw a big monkey wrench into the current meta for both eldar and Tau... That's all you need.

Tyranid Adaptive Tactics • The Super Synapse Bubble

Most armies|units in sixth edition have static tactics—they can only do one thing well... A good example of a static tactic is ripple fire for a Tau Riptide and it is not all that reliable. You as the opponent must exploit these inherent weaknesses. The new Tyranid codex was written such that the Hive Mind has a host of adaptive tactics. Adaptive tactics can morph to various battlefield conditions and always excel. I am here to help you learn how to master these new adaptive tactics, which are one of the really good things Tyranids have going for them now. The first example is the Synapse Super Bubble.

Dominion is the primaris power from the Tyranid Psychic Powers of the Hive Mind—+6" to the caster's Synapse, plus it's a blessing. This is in addition to the Warlord trait that increases synapse to 18". The Norn Crown adds another 6" to synapse. Altogether you've got a 30" radius synapse bubble. Deployed correctly your army has synapse in a 60" diameter covering practically the entire table.

As an example of how effective this is you can take your Instinctive Behaviour (IB) test and then use Dominion or movement to pull a brood back into synapse. Any brood that survives will automatically regroup prior to their own movement phase. Broods that Burrow and Hide will automatically recover after going to ground. This is stronger than Imperial Guard orders as you're casting on Ld10. It's very simple and extremely effective.