8th edition Battle Report: Black Legion vs. Blood Angels

Mission:
No Mercy (Eternal War)

Objectives -
Kill Points, First Blood, Slay the Warlord (StWL), Line Breaker

Deployment:
Dawn of War

This was a 1500 point game, my Black Legion lead by Abbadon versus the new Blood Angels lead by Commander Dante.

Here’s my army list:

++ Vanguard Detachment ++
(Chaos - Chaos Space Marines) [1317 pts]

+ HQ +

Abaddon the Despoiler [240 pts]

Sorcerer in Terminator Armour [132 pts]:
Combi-Bolter - Force Axe
Psy Powers: Death Hex - Warp Time - Prescience
Eye of Tzeentch
Mark of Tzeentch

+ Heavy Support +

Chaos Land Raider [367 pts]:
Havoc Launcher - Twin Heavy Bolter - 2x Twin Lascannon

+ Elites +

Chaos Terminators [303 pts]:
Icon of Wrath - Mark of Khorne
Chaos Terminator Champion:
Chainfist - Combi-Bolter
3x Terminator: 2x Lightning Claw
Terminator: Combi-Melta - Power Axe
Terminator: Chainfist - Heavy Flamer

Chaos Terminators [275 pts]:
Icon of Excess - Mark of Slaanesh
Chaos Terminator Champion:
Combi-Bolter - Power Axe
3x Terminator: Combi-Melta - Power Axe
Terminator: Chainfist - Heavy Flamer

Note I had permission to run only two elite choices.

++ Auxiliary Support Detachment ++ -(Chaos - FW Heretic Astartes) [164 pts]

+ Elites +

Hellforged Contemptor Dreadnought [164 pts]:
Havoc Launcher - 2x Kheres Assault Cannon

++ Total: [1481 pts] ++

My opponent had the following units:

Dante
Librarian Dreadnaught
10x Death Company - assorted melee weapons
5x Sanguinary Guard - assorted melee weapons
5x Tactical Marine - meltagun & combi-melta
10x Tactical Marine - Power Fist & Heavy Flamer
Rhino
Stormraven

I finished deploying first but lost the roll off to go first which was fine and did not roll to seize. There was some really classic dice rolls this game !

The report is a simple summary covering gaming highlights. I held my Khorne terminators, Sorcerer and Abbadon in teleport reserve. Slaneesh terminators embark in the transport beside the dreadnaught, both behind line of sight blocking terrain.

My opponent held Dante and his Sanguinary Guard in deep strike reserve.

Turn 1 - Black Legion

Roll 3 hits for the landraider to hit the Stormraven with Prescience. I then roll two 1s to wound with the VotW strategem, spend command point to reroll one wound and roll another 1. My opponent then rolls a 6 to save the one wound.

Turn 2 - Black Legion

I drop the Khorne unit to assault the Death Company along with the Sorcerer. If I can wipe them out it’ll be First Blood and one kill point. The Sorcerer Warp Times them straight towards the waiting Death Company.

During the shooting phase I again roll only one hit with the landraider versus the Stormraven with Prescience... I manage to wound it and my opponent rolls a 6 again to save.

During the assault phase I reduce the Death Company to a single model. I pop the strategem to assault again and kill them for 1 KP and 1st Blood.

3rd Turn - Blood Angels

BA kill the Khorne terminator unit in return for 1 KP. The melta toting tactical squad hops out from the flyer to shoot my Sorcerer but he survives and kills two tactical Marines in the ensuing assault phase.

3rd Turn - Black Legion

Abbadon finally decides to join the party !!!

I kill the melta tactical squad during the shooting phase with the dreadnaught firing every weapon into them (Sorcerer had fallen back) for another KP. My landraider finally manages to drop 8 wounds on the Stormraven.

Turn 4 - Blood Angels

BA kill my Sorcerer in shooting phase for their first KP. The Librarian dreadnaught then kills my Contemptor in the assault phase for another KP.

Turn 4 - Black Legion

The Slaneesh terminator unit disembarks and kills the Stormraven with a well aimed shot coming from a combi-melta.

Abbadon slays both the Libby dread and Dante in melee for 2 more KP and StWL. The Slaanesh terminators slay the Sanguinary Guard in melee as well for another KP. Only the BA tactical squad is left along with their rhino and my opponent concedes.

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.

Black Legion Tactica Part 2

Hi everyone ! It’s BBF here to share some tactical insight into playing Chaos Space Marines a new way for 40k. Black Legion is known for their terminators and their very best were referred to as Justearin during the Horus Heresy and prior to that period of strife. Every Legion had access to terminators but there was something very special about the Justearin - they were true monsters back in the day. Many members of the Lupercalia rose up from these very ranks such as Abbadon and Horus always wore terminator plate in battle. Now the Justearin are known as Bringers of Despair, infused with daemonic possession, and that they do so well !

Horde armies are the new black so what better way to counter them than bringing a low model count super elite army ? The army I present has very solid shooting versus infantry-monsters-vehicles, excels in melee and has lots of nasty tricks up its sleeve. It can be easily countered if your opponent tailors specifically against it but it does well versus most anything else. I have a lot of experience playing the same type of army for Horus Heresy (30k) which I feel has converted well to straight into eighth edition 40k.

Here’s the army list I’ve been using ...

++ Vanguard Detachment +1 CP (Chaos - Chaos Space Marines) [114 PL, 1999pts] ++

+ No Force Org Slot +

Legion - Black Legion

+ HQ [20 PL, 398 pts] +

Abaddon the Despoiler

Sorcerer in Terminator Armour:
Mark of Tzeentch
Eye of Tzeentch
Psychic Powers - Death Hex & Warp Time
Combi-Bolter & Force Axe


+ Elites [56 PL, 867 pts] +

Chaos Terminators:
Mark of Khorne
Chaos Terminator Champion: Chain Fist & Combi-Bolter
Terminator: Combi-Bolter & Power Axe
Terminator: Combi-Bolter & Power Axe
Terminator: 2x Lightning Claw
Terminator: 2x Lightning Claw
Terminator: 2x Lightning Claw
Terminator: 2x Lightning Claw
Terminator: Heavy Flamer & Power Fist

Chaos Terminators:
Mark of Slaanesh
Chaos Terminator Champion: Combi-Bolter & Power Fist
Terminator: Combi-Melta & Power Fist
Terminator: Combi-Bolter & Power Fist
Terminator: Combi-Melta & Power Axe
Terminator: Heavy Flamer & Power Axe ü

Chaos Terminators:
Mark of Tzeentch
Chaos Terminator Champion & 2x Lightning Claw
Terminator: Combi-Melta & Power Axe
Terminator: Combi-Bolter & Power Axe
Terminator: Combi-Bolter & Power Axe
Terminator: Heavy Flamer & Power Fist

+ Heavy Support [38 PL, 734 pts] +

Chaos Land Raider:
Mark of Slaanesh
Havoc Launcher
Twin Heavy Bolter
2x Twin Lascannon

Chaos Land Raider:
Mark of Tzeentch
Havoc Launcher
Twin Heavy Bolter
2x Twin Lascannon

++ Total: [114 PL, 1999 pts] ++

You’ve got 6 command points total since Abbadon automatically grants 2 command points and another two since this list is Battle Forged. The two five man Chaos terminator squads each ride in a Chaos Land Raider while Abbadon, the Sorcerer and the eight man terminator squad all teleport onto the battlefield.

Small armies are inherently easy to play as you have less mental book keeping - they do require more skill though than blob armies so there is definitely a trade off but it can work for you in a winning way if you’ve got the stones to roll with an elite army like this one.

A basic tactic is to rush your opponent with the land raiders ferrying Chaos terminators while the deep striking units come in close to their line to disrupt. Casting Warp Time on the eight man Chaos terminator ensures a first turn charge... you can multi assault to prevent as many enemy units as possible without the Fly keyword from shooting their next turn. Smart opponents will deploy in such a manner to prevent you from deploying your deep striking units deep into their backfield so come in front of them on one flank bringing in the land raiders for close by support. Smart opponents will also bubble wrap their best units with chaff like conscripts but a unit like this can easily gut one blob on the charge... remember you can pop the Khornate stratagem to assault twice plus if Abbadon is within range they reroll all missed hits. Removing one large blob first turn and scoring First Blood is a big deal.

The Sorcerer is a big part of what makes this army grind opponents to dust therefore it’s vital to properly screen him with the land raiders so your opponent can’t pick him off easily their next turn during the shooting phase. Death Hex is one of the best psychic powers in the Chaos Space Marine codex versus armies that rely upon invulnerable saves for key units... it will absolutely wreck units like the Swarmlord and Canoptek Wraiths. Eye of Tzneetch helps to ensure you successfully cast Smite and furthers your odds to blowing out a super Smite for d6 mortal wounds.

Abbadon is one of the best melee units in the game and my third article will delve into how to get the most bang for your buck with the Despoiler.

1st 8th edition 40k Batrep * Black Legion vs. Bad Moons

This is my first 40k batrep for eighth edition. I'm playing in a local league to meet other gamers here in San Diego; this was a practice game played during the past weekend. I decided to go with a single faction - Black Legion - from the new Chaos Space Marine codex, depicting their first company, Justearin terminators lead by Abbadon the Despoiler. I like the concept of playing a single faction, designing an army that fits its background. The army is very elite using the Vanguard detachment so I can field Chaos terminators for my infantry. It might not be the most competitive army out there but its relatively easy to play with some decent fire power and is very good in melee (the assault phase is still my favorite). The Legion traits for Black Legion are okay but Abbadon is what really makes this army work... the Despoiler really buffs the entire army if you keep all your units close to each other.

The mission was the new Eternal War No Mercy with First Blood, Slay the Warlord and Line Breaker for secondary objectives. Deployment was Spearhead Assault. My opponent was playing Bad Moons featuring a large squadron of Killa Kanz and a Morkanaught. He also had two large mobs of Boyz, some Gretchin, plenty of characters and some shooty ranged units such as zapp gunz and lobbaz.