+++ Ravenscar and Tau Codex Review +++

Part 1 - Ravenscar
This is a new army list that is a pure biker force with land speeder support. Space Marine bikers are the strongest units that Space Marines have to offer - by combining units from Ravenwing and the new White Scars you have the most powerful synergy and they offset each others' inherent weaknesses. The new rules for the White Scars Hunting Force and relics are a huge boost for the army helping to keep it at the top tier. This is a non psychic army relying upon its brute strength and speed to totally dominate.

The army is designed to crush Tau. The greater good just a whole lot of new tricks up their sleeve but they will still fall to fast skilled armies. Space Marine bikers have twin linked bolters which is a big deal versus T3.

This is a very tactical army but not a sledge hammer like Thunderdome which to be honest I'd never play. An army should require a certain modicum of skill to play if you want respect. If you want to cast Invisibility on an Imperial Knight squadron I have two things to say (1) you're a douche and (2) it's illegal.

++ White Scars - Hunting Force formation (999) ++

The Hunting Force has a special rule that allows every unit to re roll hits and to wound for three enemy units. This is extremely powerful. Units at least five strong get two Hammer of Wrath attacks per model.

+ HQ (250) +

Chapter Master (250)
Artificer Armor - Auspex - Power Fist - Space Marine Bike - The Shield Eternal

Note:
The following additional relics are selected from Chogoris:

Hunter's Eye - Chapter Master and his unit have Ignore Cover.

Wrath of the Heavens - Chapter Master's bike is upgraded to a jetbike. This is only 5 extra points over a bike and is very powerful for the Voltron end game.

Unit Type: Bike
|WS:6|BS:5|S:4|T:5|W:4|I:4|A:4|Ld:10|Save:2+|

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.

+ Elites (290) +

Command Squad (290)
Mount on Space Marine Bikes
Apothecary - Bolt Pistol - Chainsword - Narthecium
3x Veteran - Bolt Pistol - Grav-Gun - Melta Bombs - Storm Shield
Veteran - Grav-Gun - Melta Bombs - Storm Shield - Thunder Hammer

Note - The Eagle Banner grants the unit Furious Charge and Fleet. This is a really big deal as you should never ever fall short of a charge again plus S9 on the charge for Chapter Master means he will reliably eliminate tough enemy units such as Knights and Wraightknights now. It's a must take relic.

Unit Type: Bike
|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:5|W:1|I:4|A:2|Ld:10|Save:3+|

+ Troops (300) +

Bike Squad (150)
Biker Sergeant - Combi-Grav - Melta Bombs
2x Space Marine Biker
2x Space Marine Biker - Grav-Gun

Bike Squad (150)
Biker Sergeant - Combi-Grav - Melta Bombs
2x Space Marine Biker
2x Space Marine Biker - Grav-Gun

Unit Type: Bike
|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:5|W:1|I:4|A:1|Ld:8|Save:3+|

+ Fast Attack (159) +

Attack Bike Squad (100)
2x Attack Bike - Multi-Melta

Attack Bike: Unit Type: Bike
|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:5|W:2|I:4|A:2|Ld:8|Save:3+|

Scout Bike Squad (59)
2x Scout Biker
Scout Biker Sergeant - Melta Bombs

Unit Type: Bike
|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:5|W:1|I:4|A:1|Ld:8|Save:3+|


++ Dark Angels: Codex - Ravenwing Strike Force (885) ++

+ Fast Attack (410) +

Ravenwing Black Knights (205)
4x Black Knight - Bolt Pistol - Corvus Hammer - Plasma Talon
Huntmaster - Corvus Hammer - Melta Bomb

Ravenwing Black Knights (205)
4x Black Knight - Bolt Pistol - Corvus Hammer - Plasma Talon
Huntmaster - Corvus Hammer - Melta Bomb

Ravenwing Black Knight: Unit Type: Bike
|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:5|W:1|I:4|A:2|Ld:9|Save:3+|

++ Ravenwing Support Squadron (245) ++

Ravenwing Darkshroud (95) - Assault Cannon

Darkshroud: Unit Type: Fast, Skimmer
|BS:4|Front:10|Side:10|Rear:10|HP:3|

Ravenwing Land Speeders (225)

3x Ravenwing Land Speeder - 2x Heavy Bolter - Typhoon Missile Launcher

Ravenwing Land Speeder: Type:Fast, Skimmer
|BS:4|Front:10|Side:10|Rear:10|HP:2|

+ HQ (155) +

Interrogator-Chaplain (155) - Rosarius - Crozius Arcanum - Power Fist - Space Marine Bike

Interrogator-Chaplain: Unit Type: Bike
|WS:5|BS:5|S:4|T:5|W:3|I:5|A:3|Ld:10|Save:3+ / 4++|


++ Roster Rules ++

First Huntsman (Ravenwing Strike Force):
May reroll your roll on the Warlords Trait table.

Speed of the Raven (Ravenwing Strike Force):
On the first turn of the unit, units count as jinking if they moved flat-out or turbo-boosted. May fire their weapons normally in the following turn.

Strike as One (Ravenwing Strike Force):
All units in this Ravenwing Strike Force must be placed either in reserve or deployed as normal. When placed in reserve, all units automatically arrive in your 2nd turn.


Part 2 - Tau Codex Review
The greater good got lots of new tricks up their sleeve but to be honest I think they will have problems versus Daemons, Necrons, Khorne Daemonkin and Space Marines. A lot of people are jumping on the band wagon which is a big deal for eldar since Tau invalidate scatbikes and serpents - plus they can literally mow down Wraightknights too.

What I like best are the mobile ruins which I think are a big deal and will make Fire Warriors that much better. I don't think Tau got what they really needed for 7th edition to be able to dominate Maelstrõm missions. Most of their formations while overall really good require lots of points to field. I do like the new Stormsurge and think it's an awesome looking model !

GW obviously has a lot of love for Tau which is okay. It is one of those armies not written by Phil Kelly which is a good thing for everyone. I do wish they had made units such as the Coldstar more competitive. Oh well it is what it is and there is Forge World as a supplement.

Expect to see some batreps versus the new Tau !!!

Ground Force • Ravenwing & Space Wolves

I played in a local tournament yesterday - 1500 points - with a new hybrid list I've developed that is not a Thunderdome list either and I think it can match up well versus the new Tau. As you scroll through the army you'll notice it's not Thunderdome. : )

Here is the new army list:

+++ Ravenwing & Space Wolves (1500) +++

++ Dark Angels: Codex (2015) (Ravenwing Strike Force) (945) ++

+ Fast Attack (495) +

Ravenwing Black Knights (200)
4x Black Knight - Bolt pistol - Corvus Hammer - Frag and Krak Grenades - Plasma Talon - Teleport Homer
Huntmaster

Ravenwing Black Knights (200)
4x Black Knight - Bolt pistol - Corvus Hammer - Frag and Krak Grenades - Plasma Talon - Teleport Homer
Huntmaster

Rules:
And They Shall Know No Fear
Gets Hot
Grim Resolve
Hammer of Wrath
Hit & Run
Jink
Outflank
Rapid Fire
Ravenwing
Relentless
Rending
Scout
Skilled Rider

Ravenwing Black Knight: Unit Type: Bike

|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:5|W:1|I:4|A:2|Ld:9|Save:3+|

Ravenwing Huntsmaster: Unit Type: Bike (Character)

|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:5|W:1|I:4|A:2|Ld:9|Save:3+|


Ravenwing Darkshroud (95) - Assault Cannon

Rules:
Deep Strike
Fear
Icon of Old Caliban
Jink
Outflank
Ravenwing
Scout
Shrouded
Stealth

Darkshroud:
|BS:4|Front:10|Side:10|Rear:10|HP:3| Type:Fast, Skimmer

+ Elites (250) +

Ravenwing Command Squad (250)
5x Black Knight - Bolt pistol - Corvus Hammer - Frag and Krak Grenades - Plasma Talon - Teleport Homer
Ravenwing Apothecary
Ravenwing Company Banner

Rules:
And They Shall Know No Fear
Feel No Pain
Gets Hot
Grim Resolve
Hammer of Wrath
Hit & Run
Jink
Outflank
Rapid Fire
Ravenwing
Relentless
Rending, Scout
Skilled Rider

Ravenwing Apothecary: Unit Type: Bike (Character)

|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:5|W:1|I:4|A:2|Ld:9|Save:3+|

Ravenwing Black Knight: Unit Type: Bike

|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:5|W:1|I:4|A:2|Ld:9|Save:3+|

Ravenwing Company Banner:
Automatically pass hit&run tests and roll 4D6 for distance rather than 3D6. All friendly models within 12" reroll failed moral-, fear- or pinning tests.

+ HQ (200) +

Sammael (200) - Iron Halo

Rules:
Grim Resolve
Jink
Outflank
Ravenwing
Scout
Skilled Rider

Warlord Trait:
Rapid Manoeuvre

Corvex (Jetbike) - Bolt pistol - Frag and Krak Grenades - Raven Sword - Teleport Homer - Twin Linked Storm Bolter

Rules:
Eternal Warrior
Fearless
Gets Hot
Hatred (Chaos Space Marines)
Hit & Run
Independent Character
Master-Crafted
Swift Vengeance
Twin Linked

Sammael on Corvex: Unit Type:Unique, Jetbike (Character)

|WS:6|BS:5|S:4|T:5|W:3|I:5|A:3|Ld:10|Save:3+/4++|

Wolves preparing to slaughter Necrons...

++ Space Wolves: Codex (2014) (Allied Detachment) (555) ++

+ HQ (180) +

Wolf Lord (180) - Belt of Russ - Melta Bombs

Rules:
Acute Senses
And They Shall Know No Fear
Counter-Attack
Independent Character

Runic Armour - Frag & Krak Grenades - Power Fist - Storm Shield

Wolf Lord (Runic Armour): Unit Type: Infantry (Character)

|WS:6|BS:5|S:4|T:4|W:3|I:5|A:4|Ld:10|Save:2+/4++|

+ Elites (115) +

Arjac Rockfist, Grimnar's Champion (115) - Relics: Anvil Shield & Foehammer - Terminator Armour

Rules:
Acute Senses
And They Shall Know No Fear
Counter-Attack
Eternal Warrior
Grimnar's Champion
Hammer of Wrath
Independent Character
Stubborn
The Anvil of Fenris

Arjac Rockfist: Unit Type: Infantry (Character)

|WS:5|BS:5|S:5|T:4|W:2|I:4|A:3|Ld:9|Save:2+/3++|

Anvil Shield:
3++ Invul Save - Eternal Warrior - Hammer of Wrath

Foehammer (Melee):
Range:-|Strength:x2|AP:2|Type:Melee, Concussive, Unwieldy|

Foehammer (Ranged):
Range:6|Strength:x2|AP:2|Type:Assault 1, Concussive|

+ Troops (260) +

Grey Hunters (260) - 6x Close Combat Weapon - Wolf Standard

Rules:
Acute Senses
And They Shall Know No Fear
Counter-Attack

Drop Pod - Storm Bolter

6x Grey Hunter - 5x Bolt Pistol - 4x Bolter - 6x Frag & Krak Grenades - Plasma Gun - Plasma Pistol - Power Axe

Wolf Guard Pack Leader - Frag & Krak Grenades - Frost Axe (20pts), Power - Storm Shield

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

Wolf Guard Pack Leader: Unit Type: Infantry (Character)
|WS:4|BS:4|S:4|T:4|W:1|I:4|A:2|Ld:9|Save:3+|

Drop Pod:
BS:4|Front:12|Side:12|Rear:12|HP:3|Type:Open ToppedTransport|


++ Roster Rules ++

First Huntsman (Ravenwing Strike Force):
May reroll your roll on the Warlords Trait table

Objective Secured (Allied Detachment):
Warhammer 40k rulebook

Speed of the Raven (Ravenwing Strike Force):
On the first turn of the unit, units count as jinking if they moved flat-out or turbo-boosted. May fire their weapons normally in the following turn.

Strike as One (Ravenwing Strike Force):
All units in this Ravenwing Strike Force must be placed either in reserve or deployed as normal. When placed in reserve, all units automatically arrive in your 2nd turn.

++ Selection Rules ++

Acute Senses:
If a unit contains at least one model with this special rule, and that unit arrives on a random table edge (due to Outflank, or other special rules), then you can re-roll to see which table edge they arrive from. (Warhammer 40k rulebook)

Feel No Pain:
Ignore unsaved wounds on a 5+, treat it as saved wound. Does not work against Destroyer or Instant Death.

Grim Resolve:
A model with this rule has Stubborn and therefore ignores negative Leadership modifiers. In addition they may never choose to fail a morale check. Allows overwatch to be resolved at BS2.

Grimnar's Champion:
Arjac Rockfist must issue and/or accept a challenge whenever possible. In addition, he re-rolls all failed To Hit rolls when taking part in a challenge.

Hatred (Chaos Space Marines):
Reroll all misses in the first round of each close combat.

Hit & Run:
Take an Initiative test at the end of the assault phase, if successful choose a direction and roll 3D6, move that far ignoring all models in base contact. If this would take you within 1" of another unit, stop 1" away. Ignore Difficult Terrain, but make Dangerous Terrain tests normally. Enemy units left makes an immediate D6" consolidation.

Icon of Old Caliban:
All friendlies within 6" have Fear and Stealth. Units beginning their assault phase within 6" are not subjective to Overwatch.

Swift Vengeance:
Sammael may fire up to two weapons.

The Anvil of Fenris:
Arjac Rockfist can only join a unit of Wolf Guard or Wolf Guard Terminators. If Arjac Rockfist is included in a Detachment that includes at least one unit of either Wolf Guard or Wolf Guard Terminators, he does not take up a slot on the Force Organisation Chart.

Warlord Trait: Rapid Manoeuvre:
Your Warlord and his unit can add 3" to their maximum move distance when they move Flat Out, Turbo-boost, Run and make charge moves.

The slaughter commences !

I won all three games versus Blood Angels with an Imperial Knight, Necron Decurion and finally White Scars Gladius Strike Force. The last two games were hard fought too. I really like having a Wolf Lord and Arjac together in a drop pod - hard to kill and they pretty much destroyed anything they touched. They work together very well with the Black Knights and Sammael. I actually forgot to use the Darkshroud yesterday... Lol !

At 1850 points I'd add a Ravenwing Support Squadron which has lots of fire power and buffs the rest of the army.

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.

Ravenwing Combinations

7th edition is all about the combinations so what's best for Ravenwing ?

I've already posted my initial army list. I will be playing a pure biker army and see how that unfolds first. I don't think Ravenwing lends itself well to a Death Star style which equates to more biker units plus one of the inherent strengths of Ravenwing versus White Scars is the former has more biker units to choose which is very interesting.

So back to the question... I'm thinking one to two Imperial Knights is an excellent choice for the combination as bikes and Knights can match each others' speed - basically your classic hammer and anvil. I see Imperial Knights as being more fragile now with the boosts to the eldar Wraithknight. It's a very risky situation to assault the Wraithknight with an Imperial Knight - I've seen one Wraightknight take down three Imperial Knights the first three turns of a game... Ouch !

To me the optimal build is a Knight with two ranged weapon systems versus the ever ubiquitous chain sword. Ravenwing lack long range fire power plus the real strength of any Imperial Knight is their stomp attacks. The Melta Cannon is the better choice versus the Battle Cannon as S8 is not very good versus armor plus the S9 AP1 forces the 2+ save to either jink or rely upon an invulnerable save.

The bikes should act as a vanguard pushing up aggressively ahead of the Knight preventing the enemy from drawing ideal positions to shoot or assault it. The Imperial Knight can assault once the bikes lock down enemy units in melee then hit and run away. This is a tactic that can be repeated several times over the course of a game... It's very basic and reliable due to the inherent speed of these units.

I'm sure there are other great combinations as well but this one seems so obvious I thought I'd touch on it first.

Thoughts on Ravenwing

I have just purchased all the kits I need to build my new army. If you know me you know I like my bikes. One of my favorite biker units was Storm Claw bikers from back in the day of the 13th Company. I have played Ravenwing before too. Space Marine bikers are the best they've ever been in sixth and seventh edition. There is something for everyone - you've just got to find it.

I posted my initial list a few days ago and that's what I'll be starting with to learn the new army. It's not a Death Star army nor how I believe the army is intended to be played. A Death Star Space Marine biker unit can roll up on any unit in the game and completely obliterate it in one turn of melee except for Decurion which takes two turns and that is not bad all things considered.

First Starting Bikes
I had a really hard time when I first started playing bikes again and at one point was considering dropping out of the hobby. My advice if you want to play a biker army and be competitive go to tournaments that are anywhere from 750 - 1250 points... You have to bring pretty much a bare bones army without a lot of bling and it will force you to learn the basic mechanics of building and playing bikes. That was how I figured it out and then things started turning up roses.

Eldar Wannabees
I find it amusing eldar players are now going the biker route with Wraightknights for support - it's heavy handed to say the least with spamming scatter lasers but we just have to suck it up. In juxtaposition not everyone jumped on White Scars band wagon when the sixth edition Space Marine codex dropped and it didn't really seem to catch on fire until after Steve Sisk won the BAO last year. For sure biker armies were popular before that point in time but in my opinion they were only considered top tier until after the 2014 BAO.

The Khan and Guns
To me Khan is really not worth it and with Ravenwing you don't have to dump 150 points on a middling HQ (Khan) to scout. The major advantage of White Scars have over Black Knights is the command squad because of access to stormshields and grav guns. The stormshields are always there for you which alleviates the need upon relying on psychic powers. Grav guns outclass both meltaguns and plasmaguns. Grav guns on a biker platform have the most shots...

Four grav guns = 12 shots (AP2) - 18" range /salvo
Four meltaguns = 4 shots (AP1) - 12" range /one shot
Four plasmaguns = 8 shots (AP2) - Up to 24" range /rapid fire

Four S8 shots versus a Wraithknight cannot kill it with one volley assuming it has its full six wounds. Eight S7 shots are really going to struggle wounding on a 5+. Grav guns wound 3+ and meltaguns wound on 4+. You don't even need to do the math... It's just that simple.

It's not like biker armies were never competitive before - I remember distinctly when everyone was crying rivers of salty tears about Nob bikers and jetseer council was a thing with the Baron back in sixth edition... Good riddance to the Baron !!!

Librarius Conclave
So let's talk about Ravenwing and the Librarius Conclave... I think two Librarians is really all you need. Three with all bikes and level 2 psychic mastery comes up to 345 points which is a heck of a lot for three models and to be honest I don't think it's worth it. I know from experience casting successfully on 3+ is really darn good and two Librarians are so optimal for the points. Combine them with Sammeal and a Black Knight command squad - you've got everything you need - it's not a true Death Star but you'll be very successful casting the powers you need most with the least amount of dice... It really doesn't get much better than that even compared versus daemons, eldar and Grey Knights.

Would you like more tactics about Ravenwing?

First Crack at the New Ravenwing... Go !!!

FA: Ravenwing Bike Squad (205)
5x Biker - 2x Grav Gun - Melta Bombs
Attack Bike - Multi-Melta

75 + 50 + 20 + 5 = 150
50 + 5 = 55

FA: Ravenwing Bike Squad (205)
5x Biker - 2x Grav Gun - Melta Bombs
Attack Bike - Multi-Melta

FA: Ravenwing Bike Squad (205)
5x Biker - 2x Grav Gun - Melta Bombs
Attack Bike - Multi-Melta

FA: Ravenwing Black Knights (245)
6x Black Knight - Melta Bombs

FA: Ravenwing Black Knights (245)
6x Black Knight - Melta Bombs

sub total = 1105

HQ: Sammael (200)

Ravenwing Command Squad (265)
4x Black Knight - Sacred Standard
Apothecary
200 + 35 + 30

1105
0220
0266 +
1491

Librarius Conclave [White Scars]
3x (Librarian - Bike - Melta Bombs - Mastery Level 2)
3x (65 + 5 + 20) = 3x90 = 270

1491
0270 +
1761

Deathwing and Ravenwing Formations plus Lords of War

Dark Angels - the real deal...

DW knights got even better with ap3 maces rather than ap4? Middle finger to any other space marine player.

Deathwing rule replaces Inner Circle, grants Fearless and Hatred (CSM).

DW Knights maces of absolution now AP3, Smite is now basically a Smash attack: trade all attacks for one Sx2 AP2 attack, chosen per model, not limited use.

DW Assault is a formation rule, everything Deep Strikes in on choice of turn 2, 3, or 4 - includes Ven Dreads in Pods.

Summoned to War is a detachment rule, all units in detachment must start in Deep Strike reserve, if army has a RW Attack Squadron or Strike Force you basically choose the results of Reserve Rolls for the detachment.

Summon the DW: Formation rule, models in the formation are basically 12" teleport homers for DW units.

Ravenwing rule allows models to reroll failed Jink saves.

Speed of the Raven detachment rule: On first tirn (or second if units in reserves), units that turbo-boost or Flat Out count as Jinking but aren't forced to Snap Shot the following turn.

Ravenwing grenade launcher radshell is no longer -1T but the to-wound of 6 causes two wounds.

Sammael in Sabreclaw gets a D3+1 S4 AP2 hits sweep attack.

Land Speeder Vengeance plasma battery is now 36".

Dark Shroud's Icon of Old Caliban is Fear and Stealth to DA units within 6" and no prevents Overwatch when those units start the Assault phase with 6" of it.

Psychic Powers:

Primaris - Mind Worm - WC1 focussed witch fire, 12" S6 AP2 Assault 1, Ignores Cover, if model takes an unsaved wound then -3 BS/WS/I/Ld for rest of game

1 - Seed of Fear - WC1 Maledication affecting all enemy units within 9", they take Morale, Pinning, and Fear on 3d6

2 - Righteous Repugnance - WC1 Blessing 24" grants unit Rage

3 - Aversion - WC1 Malediction 24" unit may only fire Snap Shots

4 - Malestrom of Misery - WC2 witchfire 24" S1 AP2 Assault 1 Blast always wounds on 4+

5 - Trephination - WC2 18" focussed witchfire - affected model rolls 2d6+2-Ld and takes that many wounds with no armor or cover saves

6 - Mind Wipe - WC3 24" malediction - target unit is WS1/BS1 until end of their next turn, when they have to take a Ld test, if failed effect is permanent

Interrogator Chaplain • new picture

Interrogator Chaplain

I don't know if it's a new miniature or a conversion but it looks awesome.

Cypher the Fallen Angel, Part 2

Cypher brings trouble wherever he goes since he perpetually exists on the dividing line between the forces of order and disorder. This is the same reason why natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes occur—there is always the greatest friction at the center of the storm. Sometimes destruction must first occur before things can begin anew.

The character Cypher was created by the GW development team based upon the nameless  cowboy portrayed by Clint Eastwood in the famous western movies filmed during the 1970s. Cypher is not a Chaos Space Marine but rather an avatar of redemption in the sense that some of the Fallen were eventually able to recognize their mistakes and learn from it while the loyalist Dark Angels could never see past it and live in a state of constant shame. Cypher is not entirely human due to the rend in reality that shattered Caliban casting the Fallen through time and space. Cypher also has an intense mystical aspect to his character.

Cypher the Fallen Angel

There has been a revived interest in Cypher with the release of the new formation from Games Workshop. Cypher dates back to the Horus Heresy and witnessed the fall of Caliban. There were no Fallen Angels prior to Horus Heresy and the schism occurred at the very end of the civil war when the Dark Angels returned to their home world. The Legion was cut in half with those loyal to their Primarch Lionel Johnson remaining with the Imperium and those loyal to the traitor Luthor turning to the fell powers of Chaos. All existing chapters have some that have fallen including even Blood Angels and Space Wolves. Only the Grey Knights are pure.

The term Cypher was a title of high rank within the Dark Angels' organization, not the name of a specific Space Marine. Cypher witnessed the battle between the two sides and is symbolic of the dividing line between them. Therefore he contains the essence of both sides. The Dark Angels in their current state of paranoia view him as a traitor. It was Cypher who returned their Primarch's Lion Helm to the Chapter. Cypher also sided with Abbadon during the 13th Black Crusade. He is his own man whether by choice or simply for survival. Not all the Dark Angels left behind on their home world Caliban sided with the traitor Luthor but they had no choice in the matter.

Cypher is very powerful and may have reached his heightened state of existence through self realization, opening his mind to a higher level of eclectic knowledge triggered by his experience on Caliban... A state of being unattainable to the average Space Marine. Cypher contains the thoughts, feelings and experiences of both loyalist Dark Angels and the Fallen... As such he is unique and there is no other like him. Cypher is equally at home leading an Imperial force or a Chaos war band and he knows how to play both sides against each other if need be.

Dark Angels

I played in a team tournament yesterday and my team's final game was versus a pair of Dark Angels players. Lots of the more basic units also including a podding squad of Sternguard and Azreal plus the Chapter standard that gives a Feel No Pain bubble. They had amongst other things one squad of Deathwing, some biker squads, attack bikes with multi-meltas and land speeders with multi-melta|heavy flamer. I found out the Tech Marine can be equipped with night vision... there is a of good stuff in the codex and I've got to say I think Dark Angels have an awesome codex after that game. Our opponents conceded at the start of the bottom of the fourth turn, which was a bit of a surprise for me as the were doing really well and it was still a very close game - either team could have won. I was running Chaos Space Marines that included Abbadon with a retinue of Chosen plus two land raiders, cultists and a Heldrake... It was really scary with all those highly mobile multi-meltas flying around... They ended up popping the land raider full of cultists and most of them died in the explosion. Abbadon and his Chosen did not arrive until the fourth turn which was a bit of a bummer since he didn't get to see any action. I think Dark Angels are highly competitive indeed and got a really good new codex. Azreal does so much for the army making both Deathwing and Ravenwing count as scoring units. I hope people don't give up on it with the release of the new Space Marine codex - it's the real deal for sure !

Dark Angels - CORE

Hello everyone !!

I am just too busy with my new CSM and 30k to break out my Dark Angels but one thing I really like about the new codex is I can still use all of my existing units... That's really awesome for some people who have stuck it out with the hobby for a long time. Dark Angels finally got something good and it is about time.

I feel the same way about CSM too and just like it more right now. Lots of people are busy discussing which codex is better... I think they both are really great - you can't go wrong with either army. What a great start for sixth edition !

So I was playing around with the Dark Angels codex - my feeling is this is a super shooty army and it has the basic Deathwing to provide some serious muscle to suppress anything that gets too close for comfort.

Dark Angels

I am not here to say the new codex is good or bad but I'm already hearing people compare them to the new Chaos Space Marine (CSM) codex saying that Chaos is quite lame which I think is not right. I will say that for the most part up to this point in time based upon what I do know is that the new Dark Angels seems to a large degree to be a step back in time to what they had back towards the end of third edition with their FAQ by Andy Hoare that brought them in line with the release of fourth edition. They had nifty battle standards and lots of other things you'll see now in the new codex. GW takes away (thanks to Jervis Johnson) and now they have decided to give some back.

A lot of people will say that Dark Angels were always the red headed step child of the Emperor... That they were subpar compared to any other MEQ army. That's not true at all and one of my best armies was 3rd edition Dark Angels with their fourth edition FAQ. Back then you could take five man tactical squads with both a heavy weapon and special weapon - the de facto tactical unit was five tactical Marines per squad with a lascannon and plasmagun. They were Intractable so they never had to take a break check due to enemy shooting... They stood there shooting all game for really cheap and it was awesome. Deathwing was stubborn which almost as good as fearless back then (only had to take pinning checks) and terminators could take two assault cannons for every five terminators plus you could take terminator command squads so it was easy and cheap to spam assault cannons. Dark Angels back then were the best Space Marine shooty army and had very excellent counter assault units in the form of Deathwing (terminator) command squads. The Librarian was I5 with three wounds and could cast Veil of Time which allowed them to reroll everything - saves, to hit and to wound. A Librarian with a Storm Shield and Admantium Mantle was an Eternal Warrior, could reroll his 2+ armor save, 4++ invulnerable save, plus hits and wounds. They also had Furious Charge via their Deathwing command squad... Nothing could even so much as scratch them in melee.

The new Ravenwing
I have always loved bikes but at the end of the day you've got a small expensive squad with a 3+ armor save... They can die quickly to enemy shooting or in melee versus any superior unit and there are a lot of superior melee units. I've seen some great players try to reach the top tables with biker armies but invariably they always fell short... 40k is still to a large degree a rock paper scissors game and there are some armies such as Imperial Guard that simply shoot them off the table. The new Ravenwing is definitely strong but I don't see them as a pure biker army being any stronger than past armies such as White Scars. Black Knights are very good but they are also very expensive.

Dark Angels vs Chaos Space Marines
I hate to see people already comparing the new Dark Angels to Chaos Space Marines and saying that CSM is a poor codex. To me it's obvious CSM are intended to be played with daemons and this was always the way except for the last edition. Allies are very much a big part of the game now.

I think there was too much of a high expectation for CSM... They were the penultimate army back in fourth edition - more so than any army since then in my opinion. It's a big mistake to set them against that as a standard.

Sure Dark Angels have some bonuses versus CSM but CSM have access to Hatred versus any Imperial Space Marine army. CSM made out better in this regard since their bonus is cumulative versus a higher number of armies.

Conclusion
I like the new Dark Angels codex but it's much too early to make a statement that they are better than Chaos Space Marines.

New Dark Angels Elite

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