The Unholy Union

Team Jacward.

Alright guys, I think I got something going here with 2 of my marine armies.  So as you guys know, I have Space Wolves and Blood Angels.  I took a look at the Allies chart today and noticed both to be Blood Brothers.  Why?  I have no fucking clue.  I guess the whole thing about Werewolves and Vampires hating on eachother isn't true in the 40K universe.  They are, after all, Battle Brothers until death!

Anyways, here's the list I'm thinking about trying for 1750:

1749
14 VP

HQ:
Rune Priest (RA, WTT) = 125
Librarian* (JP) = 125

TROOP:
9x Grey Hunters (Rhino, WG/PF/CbM, Plasma Gun, MotW, WS) = 243
9x Grey Hunters (Rhino, WG/PF/CbM, Plasma Gun, MotW, WS) = 243
8x Grey Hunters (Rhino, WG/PF/CbM, Plasma Gun, MotW, WS) = 228
10x ASM* (PF/Infernus, 2x Meltaguns) = 250

ELITE:
Wolf Guard
Sanguinary Priest* (JP, MB) = 80

HEAVY:
Vindicator (DB) = 120
Vindicator (DB) = 120
Stormraven* (EA, TLLC, TLMM) = 215

The idea behind this list is pretty simple.  You take your generic 3x Grey Hunter squads and you put them in the list along side your Rune Priest who always takes Divination.  The great thing about the Rune Priest is that his Runic Weapon remains unchanged in the new edition.  If a psychic power succeeds anywhere within 24" of you, you have the ability to nullify it on a 4+.  This gives you an insane amount of psychic protection in an addition where everyone and their mother loves psychic abilities.  On top of this, I'm giving my Rune Priest Runic Armor now every chance I get.  The 2+ armor save and the innate psychic defenses that it sports is just too good not to take for the points.

Let's go over some psychic powers really quick.  Divination, is in my opinion, the best psychic lore in 40K.  If you have armies that can take this lore, you pretty much want to take this lore.  The free spell that they have, Prescience, is basically a pumped-up version of Guide that extends out to 12", and lasts until your next phase.  I don't know what to say except for that's amazing.  Next, you have Misfortune and Forewarning, both extremely strong spells that can be used against the enemy.  Ideally, if you have two psykers who have Divination (which SW and BA can), you can cast Prescience on your unit and Misfortune on the target unit and basically ram it into the ground.  Re-rolling ALL saves is no joke, it's basically a better version of Doom due to the number of raw causalities you can inflict on the enemy.  The best part about this is that it lasts until your next turn as well, so stacking these two abilities is batshit crazy.

This brings up something really clever:  Since BA and SW can both take Divination, why not take both right?  While powerful, we shouldn't discount some of the other psychic powers that the two armies can mix up.  BA have access to Telepathy, something that SW does not.. so with that, you gain Psychic Shriek, Puppet Master, Invisibility and Hallulncination.  The unfortunate thing about Telepathy is that its most powerful powers require you to be a ML2 Psyker.  That's 50 extra points for Epistolary that I simply do not have.  That means you have to look at the cheaper lores; Divination already being a fantastic buy, Biomancy for the chance to get Enfeeble, but most importantly, the BA book lore.  The main things that stand out here is Unleash Rage for the squad the Libby is in, Sanguine Sword to make you S10, Blood Lance so you can throw it at fliers (yes, it auto-hits), and Shield of Sanguinius that gives your Libby and "any unit" within 6" a 5+ cover save.  With a good amount of vehicles in my list, and a Flyer, I can cast Shield to give the Sons of Russ and the Stormraven a happy go lucky 5+ cover.

Now let's think about something really quick.  We all know Divination is good, but I think a mix between Divination and Blood (just calling it this from now on) is the sweet spot.  I can only take 2 skills though, so I think for my first trial, it'll be Sanguine Sword and Blood Lance.  Unleash Rage is not needed with the Rune Priest to cast Prescience, but the S10 and auto-hitting S8 AP1 Lance is always good.  Shield of Sanguinius is incredibly strong if you're running your dudes behind or near the Grey Hunter wall, but I think I'll be placing my Libby, SP and 10x ASM squad in reserve along side the Stormraven.  I want my forces to hit the enemy lines around the same time and with the fury of an angry god.  This first list you see here, will be all about offense (the way I like to play).

Well, I don't think I have anything else here to cover.  The Vindicators are there because I like them, the Grey Hunters are the staple, and the Libby + ASM provides a nice little wild card.  The inclusion of the Stormraven gives me a solid AA platform, and if worst comes to worst, I can throw a Blood Lance at enemy fliers and skewer them out of the sky.

My 6th Ed. DE army list

Challenge anyone?

Alright fellas, I got enough 6th Ed. jammed down my throat that it's officially time to revise and update my army list for Dark Eldar.

Needless to say, I kept things very straight forward and maybe even a little boring.  The metagame around me actually looks kinda funny.  There's a couple of CSM players, 3 Necron players (FML), maybe Tyranid player once in a while, another DE player who doesn't really play, a BA/GK player, a few Ork players and some SW players.  There is a single Guard player and a CSM player who's thinking about including traitor IG in his Allies list, but there aren't any serious talks of beard or cheese.

I'm the type of DE player who barely took Blasterborn last edition and even less Venoms.  I love myself some Trueborn, but I was never a fan of Venomspam and thus didn't bother building any!  OK, that's a lie because I actually built one, but I have 2 more NIB that I haven't touched yet.  In fact, I only proxy'd and Vassal'd with the Flyers last edition and didn't really find them enjoyable or worth their points compared to the Ravager.  With this edition, things might change because I can definitely see the use of a Flyer; both as a counter-flyer and as a straight up damage tool that can apply damage without fear of retaliation.

Another thing about me as a player is that I love Kabal Dark Eldar.  I don't like the fluff, mechanics and playstyle of the Haemonculi and thus, I keep all of my units Kabal-themed.  In a way, most of my units are not the typical MSU Venom heavy lists that you'll find elsewhere.  My lists are designed to be specialized over target saturation, built for quality and not for quantity.  This caters to my playstyle and I must say, it's been working out quite well for me.  Most of my wins with Dark Eldar depends on precision tactics where I use terrain to my advantage as I pick off high priority targets.  I place my models in a way that LoS is difficult and retaliation is even harder without a handsome cover save.  I'm a Dark Lance heavy player and I view precision and firepower as the hallmark of my playstyle.

Without further ado, here's what my current list looks like:

1745 - Duo Hellcats
17 VP

HQ:
Succubus (Agonizer, BP, Haywires) = 105
Succubus (Agonizer, BP, Haywires) = 105

TROOP:
5x Warriors (Raider NS, Blaster) = 130
5x Warriors (Raider NS, Blaster) = 130
10x Warriors (Raider, NS, SR, Blaster, SC) = 195
10x Warriors (Raider, NS, SR, Blaster, SC) = 195
9x Wyches (Raider NS, Hekatrix/Agonizer/BP, Haywires) = 225
9x Wyches (Raider NS, Hekatrix/Agonizer/BP, Haywires) = 225

HEAVY:
Ravager (NS) = 115
Ravager (NS) = 115
Voidraven (NS/FF, 4x SF) = 205

As you see here, I've adapted to 6th Ed. in the most brutal way possible:  Relying on our long-ranged firepower and pure arrogance to negotiate our enemies.  I believe I am a very strong general, and I show it by relying on a precision-based playstyle rather than spamming the battlefield.  For that, you'll see that I have fewer vehicles than some other Archons.

Do not fear, for I am cunning.  My HQ is led by a duo of hellcats who are very cost effective for what they can do.  Aside from carrying Agonizers, they also have a Blast Pistol which they can fire before they jump into the fray.  Haywire Grenades are a must have on these badass bitches, but keep in mind that you have a BS6 S4 AP4 Blast Plasma Grenade that you can throw before combat too.  One of the biggest changes 6th Ed. to our assault units was to shorten their threat range.  Threat range got decreased, yes, but we can now shoot and charge with the Fleet bonus where we couldn't before.  This means we actually gained some damage running into the enemy where before, we had to sacrifice shooting to run.

As troops, I chose to max all my slots out with Raiders with Night Shields.  I've always preferred having Night Shields on my vehicles all the way since 3rd, and now they only get better because we can pre-measure.  Pre-measuring allows us to stay exactly where we want to be once we figure out the enemies' threat range.  You should know that transports can only move 6" if the player wishes to disembark his dudes, so 12" threat from the door of the Rhino (factor in your opponent walking his marines) + 9" of Rapid Fire from Night Shields means you should play >21" away.  Analyzing threat range is really important for DE players because your vehicles, units and playstyle is not catered for making mistakes.

Let me explain the purpose of the 5x Warriors w/ Blasters inside the 2 Raiders.  Their purpose is a simple one and that's to apply Dark Lance pressure.  The two Raiders give me 2 Dark Lances in the opening volley whereas the 2x Blasters gives me two more Lances should my opponents advance.  The threat from the Blasters can kick in from 24" away and you get to use your Raider's Lance as well, so for 130 points, that's a really good bargain.  What you want to do is stay a healthy distance, maybe float around the 24-36" mark and pick off high priority targets when the notion presents itself.  Keep in mind that Focus Fire is a huge part of the game and faster armies like Eldar benefit from it a lot.  Faster vehicles, especially those with high-powered weaponry can draw LoS on extreme angles and offer you targets of opportunities that other races can only dream about.  This is why the way of the Lance is powerful in this edition - speed and supremacy.

The second pair of units in my troop choice is the 2 gunboats.  These give me 2 Lances in my initial volley, but they also give me some credible anti-infantry firepower.  Not only do both squads also come packing with a Blaster, but the boats are have Splinter Racks and a full compartment of Kabal Warriors.  The Splinter Cannon allows you to be pick off stragglers from extreme distances, playing all the way from 36" away with Lance included.  Keep in mind that Splinter Cannons are also Assault weapons and can be used if the vehicle has moved.  Splinter Racks really keeps the gunboat's purpose true because re-rolling hits is just fantastic.  There are three things that improved with gunboats in 6th Ed and these are it:  Rapid Fire is now viable at longer ranges, you can Snap Fire and Overwatch with Splinter Rack bonuses, and you didn't really pay for Splinter Racks because you just replaced the Flickerfield.  You can always advance your boats 6", get the full benefits from the racks and weapons inside, as well as giving your Raider a 5+ cover save.  This is golden, and should be exploited as much as you can.  If you find a juicy target with his underbelly exposed, feel free to either do a drive-by or even disembark your dudes for a better shot.  Target priority and directional damage is very important, so make sure you unload your Poisoned shots first before you tell your opponent to take that juicy Blaster wound.  I can't stress this enough:  40K is now a directional game and as Dark Eldar, you must utilize this to your advantage.

Last from the troop choice is the 2x Wych squads.  These girls should need no introduction as they've preformed admirably for me for a very long time.  Sure, Overwatch is a problem now and the fact that our assaults are shorter range doesn't help with that.  Shit, even our Agonizers and Huskblades are not what they used to be now being AP3, but that's not a problem.  As Dark Eldar, you must learn to adapt rapidly or fail utterly.  We are a relatively extreme race and there is no in-between.  Wyches were never meant to take on overwhelming odds and win.  What they can do is tie up things that can hit really hard and with fewer attacks.  Things like MCs, TH/SS Terminators and a measly squad of marines is not a problem.  If you're running a squad of Wyches into a full unit of Shootas and wonder why you lost, you might need to re-think your strategy.  Before I express my opinion that Wyches never fight fair, I want to explain the fact that Haywire grenades are utter death to vehicles and walkers.  The reason why is because you now hit vehicles on WS4 vs. WS1 max.  It doesn't matter if it's a Eldar Fast Skimmer going to hell and back because of Star Engines, you will still hit the damn thing on a 3+.  I have no idea why GW made it like this, but once you hit a vehicle in assault, it's pretty much going down.  With the Haywire doing a Hull Point's damage for every 2+, a full squad of Wyches will shit on a Monolith without a problem.  What makes this funnier is the fact that you can throw a Haywire before you go charging in.

Now, onto fighting fair.. or rather, not fighting fair.  If you guys haven't noticed, these Wyches are at 9 for a reason.  That reason is so the two Succubi can join each squad and all hell can break loose.  On the charge, you're looking at 6 attacks at WS8 I8 from the Succubus herself, and 4 from the I6 Hekatrix.  All of these are Agonizer attacks and if you roll some happy drugs, you'll find yourself in a really good place (WS9 anyone?).  Both the Succubus and the Hekatrix come packing with Blast Pistols, so make sure you understand how Fleet, charging and directional combat works in the new edition.  Move, shoot, and then charge with the Fleet bonus to re-roll a Charge die.  Make sure you allocate the Splinter wounds first before you put on your BS4 and BS6 Blast Pistol shot.  Who knows, since the Hekatrix and Succubus are both characters, you might get a lucky shot on someone's Sergeant.  Don't forget that these Precision Shots also apply in close combat so you can allocate to other juicy targets.  On that note, the Succubus and Hekatrix are both excellent in challenges vs. non 2+ AS units.  Simply walk into a combat, issue a challenge and take their heads for a spin.  If they decline, you nominate a model to stand there and do nothing and if they accept, you fucking take their heads off.  Depending on the meta, you might find Venom Blades to be better suit, but for now I'll roll with my Agonizers and see how they do.

On the subject of my heavy choices, this should be a no-brainer.  The Ravagers need no introduction, but I will voice a remainder on how to use them.  Remember the directional damage is in, and how you apply your damage is more important than ever.  Shooting a squad from the left might not be the same as from the right. This is why you have to use your speed and mobility to get the best angled shots, and this includes Focus Fire as well.  If you see high-priority models out of cover, you damn well focus fire them until they go down. Imagine being able to pick off 2 Paladins because they're out of cover and you have a clear shot, this is huge for you.  The same kind of precision gameplay should come with your use of the Voidraven.  You have uniquely strong Lances and you can Alpha Strike something the turn you come in.  The biggest thing about the Voidraven is that it always has a 5+ Invul save from Flickerfields.  You never need to Jink, so you never need to sac your BS in subsequent turns.  Once you delivered your payload on the target of your choice, and from the direction that'll do the most damage, you think of a way to 1. get your ass out of there, or 2. how to hit another target from a good angle.  You can either come in short and tight, going 18" and Z-flying around the battlefield while shooting at sharp angles, or you can go for a longer mission, go up to 36", do your damage (maybe even drop a bomb), and then fly off the board next round.  In the last game I played, if I flew my Voidraven off the grid before his Stormraven came in, I could of countered his Flyer the following turn.  I didn't do so because I'm a dipshit.  This is a aerial game now ladies and gentlemen, so hold on tight.

Damn, I wrote an epic ass long post.  Hopefully, this knowledge can pass onto you and get you guys better prepared for 6th.  I'll try to get a game in this weekend, but if I don't then you just gotta wait until next Tuesday.

More squeeky rat stuff

So after my friend kindly gifted me 4 Skaven IoB sets, I decided to place the order for the rest of the stuff.  Looks like I'll be quiet for the next couple of weeks or so since I'll be busy building all my rats.  I figured I'll do rats first and then Ogres.

Anyways, here's the army now.  I dropped the Stormvermin and took Plague Monks instead.  I like Clan Pestilens stuff more anyways.  The Doomwheels because I think they're funny and double Warp Lightning Cannons because I can.  I have no idea why I took the Bell other than it looks really cool, but I have no idea how they're going to preform on the battlefield.

Anyone know where to get cheap rats for Giant Rat bases?  There's no way I'm going to buy those ridiculous GW ones.  Here's the list:

2498
12 drops

LORDS:
Lv.4 Grey Seer (Condenser) = 260
Lore of Ruin
+Screaming Bell = 200

HEROES:
Chieftain (BSB, Shield) = 72
Warlock Engineer (Brass Orb) = 65
Warlock Engineer (Doomrocket) = 45
Lv.1 Plague Priest (Flail, Scroll) = 129
+Plague Furnace = 150

CORE:
40x Clanrats (FC) = 200
+Poison Wind Mortar = 65
36x Clanrats (FC) = 182
+Poison Wind Mortar = 65
50x Skavenslaves (Musician) = 102
50x Skavenslaves (Musician) = 102
6x Giant Rats (Handler) = 23
6x Giant Rats (Handler) = 23

SPECIAL:
40x Plague Monks (FC, Plague Banner) = 335

RARE:
Doomwheel = 150
Doomwheel = 150
Warp Lightning Cannon = 90
Warp Lightning Cannon = 90

What the hell! Skaven!

This must be some crazy shit, but I just involved in Skaven too!

My friend gave me a whole bunch of unassembled Skaven stuff and that's enough for me to really get started on the army.  A few bucks here and there and I should have a huge army.  That's pretty good considering I didn't spend anything on the Ogres.  My only problem is.. I have limited amounts of experience with and against the rats.  I've been developing a list lately and it looks something like this.

Keep in mind that I have rules!

• The first rule is that I wanna take Queek Headtaker because I like his fluff and his rules.
• I will not be using the Hell Pit Abomination.  I hate the model, hate the rules and I don't want to hear people bitch.
• Out of all the clans, I think I like Clan Pestilens the most.  Hence why I have some of the Poison Wind stuff.

Here's the list:

2500
14 drops

LORDS:
Queek Headtaker = 215
Lv.4 Grey Seer (Scroll) = 265
Lore of Ruin

HEROES:
Chieftain (BSB, Shield) = 72
Warlock Engineer (Brass Orb) = 65
Warlock Engineer (Doomrocket) = 45
Lv.1 Warlock Engineer (Condenser) = 85
Lore of Ruin

CORE:
35x Super Stormvermin (FC, Razor Standard) = 455
35x Clanrats (FC) = 242.5
+Poison Wind Mortar
35x Clanrats (FC) = 242.5
+Poison Wind Mortar
40x Skavenslaves (Musician) = 82
40x Skavenslaves (Musician) = 82
6x Giant Rats (Handler) = 23
6x Giant Rats (Handler) = 23
6x Giant Rats (Handler) = 23

RARE:
Doomwheel = 150
Doomwheel = 150
Warp Lightning Cannon = 90
Warp Lightning Cannon = 90
Plagueclaw Catapult = 100

My biggest problem is that I don't know what's acceptable as core and what formation the units will be in.  I know how to do elite and expensive armies, but an entire made of random fodder is new to me.  I mean, look at how many models this is!  It's insane..

The Super Stormvermin is upgraded with Queek's benefits.  WS5, S5 with Halberds and Razor Standard is pretty insane for damage.  Right now, I'm thinking about putting them in 7x5 formation.  Does this work?  Or should I spend the points to get a bigger unit in general and put them in Horde formation?

What about the rest of the core?  Clanrats should be 5x7 deep and Skavenslaves is 5x8.  How does that look?  The Rat Darts are there for deployment reasons and the rare slot is filled with all kinds of crazy contraptions.  Doomwheels do good amounts of damage once they start blasting into combat and I've seen Warp Lightning Cannons do crazy stuff.  The Plagueclaw is there to drop Large Templates (great vs. Warriors of Chaos!) with no armor saves and the rest of stuff is pretty self-explanatory.

Thoughts?  It looks pretty solid to me but I'd like to know your opinions.

PS - I must be crazy to take this army with so many projects already.. but the price was just too good to pass up on.

More VC army construction

UPDATED: 1-19-12

I'm still working on the finer points of designing a solid VC army and I'd like to take you guys on a guided tour on how I reach certain decisions.  Hopefully, this short article will help you guys in your army building stages as well.

First, I'll talk about my lord choices:

Vampire Lord = 433
Lore of Vampires
Red Fury, Quickblood
Knight, Ogre Blade, Dragonhelm, 4+ Ward, PoFool

Lv.3 Master Necro (Book of Arkhan) = 190
Lore of Vampires

This here is what I had at first.  I wanted to do this for the following reasons:  Keeping the VL at Lv.1 makes him a mere support caster.  It gives him focus, as he's now a primary melee attacker.  Bigger spells are not really used by him, thus limiting the amount of PD thrown (which in turn lowers the chance to miscast).  This also allows me to fill in a Master Necro at Lv.3 and Book of Arkhan.  It gives him a dedicated role and allows him to cast elsewhere (2 casters vs. 1) while maintaining a good magic item.

However, my list progressed to something like this:

Viktor Draconis (Lv.4 Vampire Lord) = 538
Lore of Vampires
Red Fury, Quickblood
Knight, Ogre Blade, Dragonhelm, 4+ Ward, PoFool

Lv.1 Necro (Book of Arkhan) = 90

Going over the points again, I took a look at my Lv.3 Master Necro and the Vampire Lord and stared at them for a very long time.  I understand the pros and cons of having both a Vampire Lord and Master Necro, but I wanted more than that.  More knowledge, more options, more understanding.  One of the first things a competitive player does when he min-maxes his list is to trim the fat.  He maximizes on the amount of points he has allotted himself and he goes to no end to find a work around one simple concept:  How to get the best bang for your buck?  Then it hit me.. the Master Necro Lv.4 is 200 points on the dot.  To upgrade my Vampire Lord to a Lv.4 takes 105 points.  That's half of the points to unlock the VL to his full potential and gives you a larger array of spells.  The reason why this change is appropriate is because of points:  I can't possibly take a Red Fury Lord and a Lv.4 in the same army list at 2500 points.  The only way I can is to take one person who can do it all:  A Lv.4 Wizard with the speed, power and protection of a fully-armored Vampire Lord.

I decided that the good outweighs the bad:  The good is that you have a Lv.4 in your army and a combat Lord at the same time.  The bad is that you are now the biggest target on the battlefield:  3 wounds, one body, one location, the General and the highest level caster.  Sounds like a bad deal right?  Not for the 100 points saved and the big middle finger saying I'm coming for you anyway (reasoning need not apply).

As for the Hero slots, I'm still a little undecided.  When I show you my army list later, you'll see that I still have ~100 or so points left over.  Here's the combo I have running right now:

Edward Cullen (Vampire) = 202
Lore of Vampires
Aura of Dark Majesty, Fear Incarnate
Shield, Glittering Scales, Scroll

60x Skeletons (FC, Screaming Banner, Spears) = 355

I used to have the Vampire mounted on a horse in a unit of Black Knights and the Vampire Lord, but I decided against that.  One of the reasons why is because it paints a giant target on my head, and since I changed my Vampire Lord to a Lv.4, I don't want an even bigger target placed over my head.  This falls into the "too many eggs in 1 basket" approach.  The combo might be ridiculous on paper, but when you total up the points to see it work, you begin to wonder if it's worth it or not.  I decided that it was not worth it, but instead focus on something that'll improve the overall strength of my entire army:  Adding additional threat!

What's scarier than a giant horde of Skeletons flanked by a giant unit of Grave Guard w/ Banner of Barrows?  When the giant unit of Skeletons you're in combat with is never going to let you go until you're all destroyed.  With the Scary Vampire placed in the giant unit of Skellies, you have an assload of Unbreakable wounds to chew through w/ Fear tests going off every turn that'll make you hate life.  Skeletons suck in combat compared to most things, but they are actually pretty decent when you put them in a horde formation with Spears and give them the ability to make someone WS1.  Hit on 3s with an assload of attacks is going to cause issues to anyone in the game.  Not just that, but they hit you less, you kill them more and it balances out their Undead rule to maybe even... beating units in combat.  Maybe you don't have to pull more Skellies out of every combat.  Maybe, just maybe, I think Skeletons should be scary on the battlefield.

This, completes the goal that I wanted to do:  Expand on the number of threats on the battlefield while reducing the bullet magnet size of the Black Knights.  Kill 2 birds with 1 stone as far as I'm concerned.

Now, we look at another the other obvious combos:

35x Grave Guard (FC, GW, Banner of Barrows) = 500
11x Black Knights (FC, Banner of Swiftness) = 331

7x5 Grave Guard with Great Weapons and Banner of Barrows.  Deploy them next to the Fear-bombing Skeletons and your opponents will most likely sweat.  Think about it:  Grave Guard hits most things in the game on 3s and wound on 2s with Great Weapons.  Vs. a giant Skeleton bunker that's afflicting fear to targets 10-wide, you're looking at hitting things in the game on 2s.  In turn, this also ups the amount of damage you receive because WS1 hits WS3 on 5s.  All of a sudden, being in combat with Grave Guard + Fearbomb gives you the same amount of protection as the now missing Drakenhof Banner.  In fact, vs. higher WS units w/ Flaming Banner, recurring Fear gives you infinitely more protection.

The other unit here is the Black Knights.  I took the Screaming Banner off them so I can spread the threat somewhere else, so I decided to up their count to 11 and give them Banner of Swiftness.  One of the problems with Knights these games is their size, their price, their ability to NOT deny Steadfast and their speed.  I wanted to amend as many of these as possible by upping their unit count to 11 first.  This gives me more bodies to pull, more units to put back because of my new Lv.4 (D6+1 is a lot!), and less models that needs to be there for when Disruption might come into effect.  Being a 6x2 formation also provides a larger number of attacks at the cost of almost no maneuverability.  The Banner of Swiftness gives me additional threat range, and allows me to get in combat quicker.  Honestly, I need to get in combat ASAP with the Lord and his unit to minimize on the amount of shooting I have to face.

So with that in mind, here's my current list as of today:

2500
9 drops

LORDS:
Viktor Draconis (Lv.4 Vampire Lord) = 538
Lore of Vampires
Red Fury, Quickblood
Knight, Ogre Blade, Dragonhelm, 4+ Ward, PoFool

HEROES:
Edward Cullen (Vampire) = 202
Lore of Vampires
Aura of Dark Majesty, Fear Incarnate
Shield, Glittering Scales, Scroll

Lv.1 Necro (Book of Arkhan) = 90
Cairn Wraith = 60

CORE:
60x Skeletons (FC, Screaming Banner) = 355
27x Ghouls = 270

SPECIAL:
Spirit Host = 45
Spirit Host = 45
2x Fell Bats = 32
2x Fell Bats = 32
35x Grave Guard (FC, GW, Banner of Barrows) = 500
11x Black Knights (FC, Banner of Swiftness) = 331

Now I'm looking at a total of 9 drops with heroes.  That's a pretty decent amount of drops and the Fell Bats mean absolutely nothing to me.  If they re-direct some things out of the way, great.  If they don't, it doesn't matter because I still have 9 drops total.  I added the Cairn Wraith in there for another Ethereal re-director and Terror.  Having a Terror-causer in the scary Skeleton unit can give me Fear over Fear-causers, so I think that's great.

Thanks for reading.

2500pt VC army brainstorm

Alright guys, gloves off.  I have enough models to make it happen, so now it's time to proxy a few games and see how I do.  However, there's some stuff I want to go over first.

2246

LORDS:
Vampire Lord = 433
Lore of Vampires
Red Fury, Quickblood
Knight, Ogre Blade, Dragonhelm, 4+ Ward, PoFool

Lv.3 Master Necro (Book of Arkhan) = 190
Lore of Vampires

HEROES:
Vampire = 210
Lore of Shadow
Aura of Dark Majesty, Fear Incarnate
Knight, Enchanted Shield, Scroll

CORE:
60x Skeletons (FC, Spears) = 330
29x Ghouls (Ghast) = 300

SPECIAL:
40x Grave Guard (FC, Banner of Barrows) = 520
8x Black Knights (FC, Screaming Banner) = 263

The first thing you'll note is that I have 250 points left to play with. After careful, careful consideration, I decided to take out my Blood Knight bus for a smaller Black Knight filler group. They cost almost half the points of the Blood Knights and they get to carry the Screaming Banner into critical battles. Not to mention I can also res a whole bunch of them at once. I firmly believe that the Vampire Lord and the Vampire themselves will be able to put out enough damage by themselves.

The Lord's shortbus now carries the Fear-bomb combo: -1 Ld, no BSB re-rolls on Fear tests (or re-roll successful ones), 3D6 discard the lowest Fear test.

For a perspective, it looks something like this:

I've run the numbers for the screaming banner/fear incarnate combo (add aura of -1Ld if you will) and these are the odds of failing the fear tests for different. First number is without the rerolls (the enemy is close to his BSB) and the second is with the rerolls:

Ld10: 0.2 - 0.36
Ld9: 0.36 - 0.59
Ld8: 0.52 - 0.77
Ld7: 0.68 - 0.9
Ld6: 0.8 - 0.96
Ld5: 0.89 - 0.99
Ld4: 0.95 - 0.999..
Ld3: 0.98 - 0.999..
Ld2: 0.99 - 0.99999....

I'm also running 40x Grave Guard with HW/S for durability and killing power, and I feel confident with their ability to stay in battle and do damage with Van Hels, Book and hopefully more castings of it from my Lv.3.

Now, I have 250 points left over and I'm not entirely sure what to take. There's so SO many good options! That's why I need your help and your logic to why. Here are my options:

1. Terrorgheist (+1 extra deploy)
Giant T6 6W creature with Death Shriek. Threat value, pretty damn high.

2. Spirit Host, Spirit Host, Spirit Host, and a Cairn Wraith (+3 deploy)
3x solo Spirit Hosts act as great Ethereal road blocks that can hold up Great Eagles, Light Cav, even bigger Cav units in general indefinitely. Cairn Wraith actually does damage and has Terror.

3. 2x Cairn Wraiths, Necro w/ Staff of Damn (0 deploy)
More magic, can also carry a scroll to give the Vampire a Dawnstone for 1+ re-rollable. 2x Cairn Wraiths for road blocks that actually do damage.

4. Black Coach, Cairn Wraith (+1 deploy)
Black Coach, T6 3+ armor save, 4+ Ward, Terror-causing chariot that can get really big if you roll silly. Cairn Wraith as a filler.

5. 5x Cairn Wraiths as rare (+1 deploy)
250 points of standard face roll Ethereal Great Weapon dudes.

6. 5x Hexwraiths, Spirit Host, Spirit Host (+3 deploy)
Hexwraiths to do damage, 2x Spirit Hosts to mess with deployment.

7. 2x Bat Swarms, 2x Cairn Wraiths, 1x Spirit Hosts (+3 deploy)
Bat Swarms flying behind your units to provide ASL once your units get into combat. Cairn Wraiths for added damage and roadblocks and Spirit Hosts for a speed bump.

8. Add a Wight King BSB somewhere, take Spirit Hosts and Bats. (+2 deploy)

These are just the combos I can think of right now, but I'm really curious what you guys think.  Keep in mind you can mix and match any of these that costs low enough. Also keep in mind that this 250 points left is the most important part of the list. Lots of options.. but the most important goal of these last few points is to provide flexibility in an all-comers list.  This means a balance between roadblocks, re-directors, power-hitters, stronger magic, or any of those mixed together.  The ultimate question is:  What's the best?

What say you guys?

My 2500pt Ogre army!

Looks something like this..

2471

LORDS:
Lv.4 Slaughtermaster (IF, Hellheart, AoD) = 388
Gut Magic

HEROES:
Bruiser (BSB, GW, 2+, Ironcurse) = 191
Lv.1 Firebelly (GW, Scroll) = 154

CORE:
9x Ogres (FC, IF) = 323
6x Ironguts (FC, Discipline) = 308

SPECIAL:
4x Mournfang (FC, HA/IF, Dragonhide) = 360
4x Leadbelchers = 172
4x Leadbelchers = 172
Sabretusk = 21
Sabretusk = 21
Sabretusk = 21

RARE:
Ironblaster = 170
Ironblaster = 170

The Lv.4 SM has 4+ armor, 6+ parry and 4+ ward.  He also carries the Hellheart to mess with enemy wizards.  I guess it goes without saying that he's been officially approved to carry armor because the designers failed to catch it.  That's perfectly fine with me!  I just wish all Ogres could parry with Ironfists regardless of what weapon they're carrying.  Visually, that would make more sense to me because of the way Ironfists look.  Anywho, the rest of the heroes look pretty standard.  BSB enjoys a 2+ save and carries a Great Weapon, the Firebelly carries a scroll and Great Weapon himself.  All 3 of those heroes will sit comfortably in the 6 Irongut unit for a total of 2x 3x3 blocks to make up the main belly force.

The Special slots are also pretty standard:  3x Sabretuks as better Eagles, 4x Mournfangs with all the bells and whistles, and 2 units of 4x Leadbelchers so I can shoot things to death.  I was thinking maybe cutting the squad down to 6x Leadbelchers and then buffing up either the Ironguts or Bulls, what do you guys think?

Lastly, I'm taking 2x Ironblasters because I think shooting big ass S10 cannons is ridiculous.  Plus, they're not bad in combat and they're really tough to kill!

Other things I might do is as follows:
SM takes Glittering Scales and Fencer Blades to make him almost unhittable in combat.
I find room for another Bruiser with 4+ ward for another beatstick.
I drop some Leadbelchers and maybe a Ironblaster for more Core units.

Is it me or is this army really small?  I normally deploy 100+ elf models to the table and this is looking quite sad!  I guess I should be counting wounds and not actual models?  It just looks really funny to me lol.

My ALEPH army lists

Let's go over 2 army lists really quick.  One of which is 200pts and the other one is 300pts.  I figured that's what the guys around here is playing since everyone's just starting out.  From looking around the forums, I'm seeing the 300pts is the standard for most lists.  That's cool, I'll probably start at 200pts for my first couple of games.  Hmm.. I wonder if I can take 2 Lieutenants in a single list if I have the option?  I can't seem to find anything in the main rulebook.  Getting pumped for this game.

Here's the short notation of my army lists:

200pts
8 orders
3.5 SWC

Asura LT w/ MULTI Rifle
Myrmidon w/ Spitfire
DEVA Hacker w/ Combi Rifle
2x Dakini w/ HMG
3x Netrod

300pts
10 orders
5.5 SWC

Achilles LT w/ Spitfire
Asura w/ MULTI Rifle
DEVA Hacker w/ Combi Rifle
2x Myridon w/ Spitfire
Dakini w/ HMG
Dakini w/ Combi Rifle
3x Netrod

Below, you'll see the full notation using the Devil Team army builder.

Have you guys tried this army builder?
http://www.infinitycreator.com/

It allows you to make lists like this:
http://www.infinitycreator.com/users/1226/army_lists/print?id=13607

Pretty neat.  Oh!  I'm going to China for 8 days.  I'll be reading this awesome version of the rulebook multiple times while on the plane.

 ALEPH
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 GROUP 1 (Regs: 8/Irrs: 0):

  ASURA Lieutenant MULTI Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, AP CCW (73)
    MOV:4-4  CC:16  BS:14  PH:14  WIP:15  ARM:5  BTS:-6  W:2
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube
    V: No Wound Incapacitation, Multispectral Visor L3, Lieutenant

  MYRMIDON Spitfire, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, AP CCW (32 | 1)
    MOV:4-4  CC:17  BS:12  PH:13  WIP:13  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Frenzy, Cube
    Martial Arts L3, ODD: Optical Disruptor

  DEVA Hacker  Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife (35 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:15  ARM:2  BTS:-3  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube
    V: No Wound Incapacitation, Hacking Device

  2x DAKINI Tacbot HMG / Electric Pulse (22 | 1)
    MOV:6-4  CC:8  BS:11  PH:8  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, G: Remote Presence
    CH: Mimetism

  3x NETROD Electric Pulse (4)
    MOV:-  CC:-  BS:-  PH:12  WIP:-  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous
    AD: Combat Jump, AI Beacon


 196 Points | SWC: 3.5

ARMY CODE: eNozM1Q1UTNWM6yxUDMBksZqRkDSUM0QQZqpGaBTADjwC5o=
Army Infinity v.3.0. - http://www.devilteam.com



 ALEPH
──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

 GROUP 1 (Regs: 10/Irrs: 0):

  ACHILLES Lieutenant Spitfire, Nanopulser / Pistol, EXP CCW (81 | 2)
    MOV:6-4  CC:20  BS:15  PH:16  WIP:15  ARM:6  BTS:-6  W:3
    Regular, Frenzy, Cube
    Martial Arts L4, ODD: Optical Disruptor, Multiterrain, Lieutenant

  ASURA MULTI Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, AP CCW (73)
    MOV:4-4  CC:16  BS:14  PH:14  WIP:15  ARM:5  BTS:-6  W:2
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube
    V: No Wound Incapacitation, Multispectral Visor L3

  2x MYRMIDON Spitfire, Nanopulser, Smoke Grenades / Pistol, AP CCW (32 | 1)
    MOV:4-4  CC:17  BS:12  PH:13  WIP:13  ARM:2  BTS:0  W:1
    Regular, Frenzy, Cube
    Martial Arts L3, ODD: Optical Disruptor

  DEVA Hacker  Combi Rifle, Nanopulser / Pistol, Knife (35 | 0.5)
    MOV:4-4  CC:14  BS:12  PH:11  WIP:15  ARM:2  BTS:-3  W:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, Cube
    V: No Wound Incapacitation, Hacking Device

  DAKINI Tacbot HMG / Electric Pulse (22 | 1)
    MOV:6-4  CC:8  BS:11  PH:8  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, G: Remote Presence
    CH: Mimetism

  DAKINI Tacbot Combi Rifle / Electric Pulse (13)
    MOV:6-4  CC:8  BS:11  PH:8  WIP:13  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous, G: Remote Presence
    CH: Mimetism

  3x NETROD Electric Pulse (4)
    MOV:-  CC:-  BS:-  PH:12  WIP:-  ARM:0  BTS:-3  STR:1
    Regular, Not Impetuous
    AD: Combat Jump, AI Beacon


 300 Points | SWC: 5.5

ARMY CODE: eNozM1Q1MlQzVTOsMVEzAJIWaiZw0ljNCEgaqhmCSZCsoRkmBQDmRw6M
Army Infinity v.3.0. - http://www.devilteam.com

Can you build competitive and fluffy?

Before we go too deep into the lines of soul-searching, let's lay down some definitions first.  For me, the word competitive means to play your best.  This means improving on your generalship, optimizing your army list and designing an well-tuned army. I tagged an assload of articles I wrote previously and labeled them as "recommended".  These articles speak of list synergy, threat application and cost effectiveness.  This is the type of knowledge that I apply when playing competitively.

Now what about fluffy?  Or better yet, my definition of fluff:  You build your army how the army was designed to be played.  Space Wolves should be seeking a glorious death in combat and Blood Angels should be charging into the fray.  This is the element of fluff that I'm talking about and this is what I design most of my army lists around.  My recent article on BoLS called "Remembering Who We Are" covers my thoughts on this much more vividly.

As you guys have noticed, my blog's pretty much a competitive blog with a thematic twist.  You'll never see any Razorfang or RB spam lists here; instead you'll see well-tuned army lists trying to make my creations work.  I see army list construction a game in itself, and I take great pride in kicking ass with an army spewed from my own creativity.

My current army lists:

Space Wolves
Wolf Lord w/ TH/SS, Saga of the Bear
Rune Priest w/ Chooser and WTN
3x 9x Grey Hunters w/ WG in Rhinos
7x Wolf Guard Terminators in a LRC
3x Predator w/ AC/LC

The Wolf Lord Lagnar and his companion Rune Priest is leading the Space Wolves into battle.  Three Grey Hunter squads in Rhinos will insure mid-field security while the Predators draw the enemies up close .  Once that happens, Lagnar and his entire retinue of Wolf Guard Terminators will charge into the fray and slay any opposition.  This tactic is known as the Wolf's Jaws.

Blood Angels
Mephiston
3x 10x ASM jumpers w/ Fist and Meltas
2x Sanguinary Priests w/ Jump Packs
3x Baal Preds w/ HB sponsons
3x Preds w/ AC/LC

Chief Librarian Mephiston is leading an expedition force of Blood Angels.  At the front of the assault is a spearhead of Baal Predators followed by long-range supporting fire from AC/LC Preds.  Despite having full access to the Chapter's Rhinos and Razorbacks, Mephiston and his battle-brothers choose to take the fight to their enemies in the way the Blood Angels know best:  Death from above.

Grey Knights
Librarian
3x 10x GKSS in Rhinos w/ Psycannons and Psybolts
6x Paladins w/ Apothecary and 2x MC Psycannons
3x Rifleman Dreads w/ Psybolts

The Grey Knights strike at the heart of the enemy with devastating medium-range firepower while the Chapter's Dreadnoughts offer long-range support.  Having recently retro-fitted their armored brothers with Twin-linked Autocannons, Librarian Larrus is confident that the enemy will founder.  Should the battle go ill, Larrus and his retinue of Paladins will teleport to the battle directly and make swift work of any assailant.

Dark Eldar
Vect
2x Raiders w/ 5x Warriors
3x Raiders w/ 10x Wyches
3x Venoms w/ 3x Trueborn w/ Blasters
3x Ravagers w/ NS and FF

Asdrubael Vect has always been a warrior without peer.  His arrogance is so great, the mere thought of haemonculi "helping" his army disgusts him.  As Vect invades his target destination, he does it with the speed and precision that the Dark Kin is known for.  With a flash of utter darkness, nothing is left save for the burning wreckage of his foes.  As the darklights fade, so does the opponent's chances of victory.

Let's be fair now.  Do any of these lists looks WAAC and min-maxed for the Ard Boyz win?  They're fine-tuned, definitely, but aside from repetition that can be viewed as spam by some, I don't see any any uber powerful lists here.  My Space Wolves uphold their virtues in seeking a glorious death and my Blood Angels will charge head first into battle.  You might think that's a lot of AV13 armor, but shit, I pretty much coined the phrase 3/3 and I've been using variants of that list since day 1.

What do you guys think about my lists?  They're certainly not the lists you tend to see on other sites but you come here for tactical advice none the less.  I must be doing something right.

DEcisions, decisions

First, my army list at 2K.

1998
20 kp

HQ:
Asdrubael Vect = 240

TROOP:
5x Warriors (Raider NS, Blaster) = 130
5x Warriors (Raider NS, Blaster) = 130
9x Wyches (Raider NS/FF, Hekatrix/Agnoizer/BP) = 215
10x Wyches (Raider NS/AS, Hekatrix/Agnoizer/BP) = 220
10x Wyches (Raider NS/AS, Hekatrix/Agnoizer/BP) = 220

ELITE:
3x Trueborn (Venom NS/SC, 3x Blaster) = 156
3x Trueborn (Venom NS/SC, 3x Blaster) = 156
3x Trueborn (Venom NS/SC, 3x Blaster) = 156

HEAVY:
Ravager (NS/FF) = 125
Ravager (NS/FF) = 125
Ravager (NS/FF) = 125

This list is really effective in all-comers list vs. all scenario based missions except for kill points.

However, I want that to change.  Even though the Warrior Raiders put down a lance shot from the back while providing a solid scoring option, I feel like there might be better options.  Here are some of them.

9x Reaver Jetbikes (Champion, 3x Heat Lances) = 244
10x Scourges (Solarite, 4x Splinter Cannons) = 260
2x 5x Warriors (Venom NS/CC, Blaster) = 135x2 = 270

The Reaver Jetbikes offer solid damage vs. any infantry unit they pass over as well as armor-threatening Heat Lances once they get to the back field.  Scourges, as fragile as they are being Jump Infantry who's often times exposed, provide a ridiculous amount of firepower from far away.  At full strength, they can jump 12" and shoot 18" with their Carbines/Splinter Cannons.  This adds up to 30 Splinter shots with a 30" threat on the move.  They can also stay in the back and offer a solid shooting solution with 24 shots from 36".  Next, we have the 2x Warriors in Venoms that sit in the back, score and shoot.  They're relatively safe because of the low profile of the Venom, the Night Shield and Flicker Fields.  The difference between these three units is that one shoots really well, one contests really well and one scores really well.

Which unit do you think fits better in the list?  I'm all ears.

Pure Grey Knights Tactica

Before you read this tactica, you have to understand one key thing:

This a tactica dedicated to playing with half of the Grey Knights army book.  You will not have access to any Inquisitors, Henchmen, Assassins or crazy space monkeys.  If you want to play with those units, please close out of this tactica immediately.

If you're still here, that means you're ready to play a real man's game.  You will play an army that's so elite that no other army can match you in the battlefield when played correctly.  Whether that proves to be correct or not depends entirely on you.  You will be handicapped and you will face bad match-ups time and time again.  To emerge victorious means nothing, for tomorrow you will face another enemy.  To suffer defeat also means nothing, for tomorrow you will walk onto the battlefield and try again.  You have given your life to the Chapter and you know no fear.  Be prepared to be taught the ways of pure Grey Knights.

UPDATED: 2:46pm PST, 12-1-11

Now that we have laid the ground rules, I'll tell you a little bit of how things work here on my blog.  I am a competitive player and I do not waste my time on units that I find lackluster or ineffective on the battlefield.  If you want to be a competitive PGK player, you have to realize that not only are your options rather limited, but your list building techniques have to be even sharper than before if you want to survive.  Pure Grey Knights is not a casual exercise for the brain, it's a test of player skill and a firm understanding of the army's strengths and weaknesses.  With such a strict doctrine in mind, only the strongest unit choices that have the highest degree of tactical application will be used.  Everything else can suck shit.

As such, the following units will be talked about on this blog:

Lord Kaldor Draigo
Castellan Crowe
Grand Master
Librarian
Purifier Squad
Paladin Squad
Terminator Squad
Strike Squad
Interceptor Squad
Purgation Squad
Nemesis Dreadknight
Techmarine
All Dreadnoughts and vehicles are safe to use

This leaves us with only 13/17 pure Grey Knight choices viable for competitive play.  If you don't agree with me, too bad.  I won't tell you why I cut the Mordrak, Stern, the Brother Champion or Thawn, that's for you to figure out for yourself.  It won't take you long if you study the codex.

Now let's move onto the unit bucket:

Grand Master

You want this guy in every single list you're going to make.  His upgrade potential is amazing and the special rule he offers is fantastic.  The main reason you take the Grand Master is for Grand Strategy.  He can make units Scout, count as scoring, re-roll 1s to wound for the rest of the game, or get the Counter-Attack USR.  Since he can carry special grenades only available to a select group of HQs, his job will be to assist your units in CC with said grenades.  He is a support hero, not a fighter.  That's why you always keep him safe with his NFS for that lovely 3++ in CC.

Recommended configuration:
Grand Master (Psycannon, Blind, Rad) = 240

Feel free to add some Servo-skulls in there if the mission calls for it.  Skulls give your army flexibility and that's always important when choosing when and where to come in.  The Psycannon is there because PGK need all the anti-tank they can take, Blind Grenades gives his unit Defensive grenades and Rad Grenades nerfs a enemy unit's Toughness by 1 in assault.  This means your already godly soldiers will steamroll most things they touch in CC as long as the Grand Master is present.  Remember:  His role is support, not front line battle-beast.  With only 3 attacks and no EW, he's not very eager to get into combat.  Feel free to swap out the Psycannon for a basic Incinerator if you think you got enough AT.

Librarian

You will keep him at level 2 and you will give him powers to take instead.  Mastery Level 3 is not needed but psychic diversity is definitely a must.  As for weapon upgrades, the most cost-effective option is the default NFS.  A 4++ Invul in CC is definitely a lot more than what other Psykers have so that's always a good thing. As for psychic abilities, these are the ones I find most useful.  I will rank them in order of importance as well:

Shrouding
Summoning
Might of Titan
Sanctuary
Quicksilver
Warp Rift

The other abilities are either crap or not really meaningful in actual games.  Shrouding is at the top of the list because a 3+ cover save is godsend for an army with very few models and no Storm Shields.  Summoning gives you the ability to summon aid whenever you please and another layer of tactical displacement.  Might of Titan and Quicksilver gives you the ability to tear apart Land Raiders or outspeed anything in the game in CC.  Sanctuary provides assault defense and Warp Rift is just for lols because it's a template based weapon that's not as powerful as JotWW.

Recommended configuration:
Librarian (Shrouding, Summoning, Might and Sanctuary) = 170

The key ones to have every game is Shrouding, Summining and Might.  Quicksilver can be interchanged with Sanctuary if your army is full of Halberds (which it should be).  The Librarian is a support hero and should not be used as frontline CC character.  He is pure utility and his psychic powers should help compliment any weaknesses your army may have, including psychic defense because he's the only one with a hood.

Draigo and Crowe

These guys should only be used to unlock Paladins and Purifiers as troops.  Draigo is too expensive for competitive play, but he does have a role in all Paladin lists.  Crowe is possibly the worst SC to ever exist.  Crowe should be reserved and walked on and out of LoS every game to prevent getting him killed.  He's only there for the Purifiers.

Grey Knight Strike Squad

These guys are your standard bread and butter marines.  They form the backbone of most PGK lists and the fact that they can take Rhinos now adds to their worth.  Even though they only have 1 attack, each GKSS comes with a Force Weapon and Storm Bolter.  The ideal way to use these guys is to ship them up mid-board and bunker down to provide fire support for the rest of your army.  In terms of application, these guys are NOT your go-getters.  They are support units that count as scoring and thus they should be used exactly as that.

Recommended configuration:
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons) = 275

The Justicar can MC his Daemonhammer and you should have one for every 10 GKSS.  In terms of functionality the DH functions exactly the same reason why you would have a Fist in a Tactical squad.  It produces guaranteed wounds when you would otherwise fail and that's exactly what you need sometimes.  A good example is rolling poorly to wound on a Trygon with everything until the hammer hits.  Not only do you wound on a 2+ but one psychic test and you blow it up.  Winning.

Grey Knight Terminator Squad

Thanks to combat squads, you can either go big or small with the unit and be on your merry way.  Not only do they count as troops but their weapon layout gives them plenty of utility.  In terms of Nemesis Force Weapons, the Halberd is preferred on any unit with 2A.  Going faster than your opponent is key in reducing the number of armor saves you have to make.  The less die you roll for your armor saves, the longer your units will survive.  This is a mathematical certainty.  As for how many Daemonhammers you need, I like to do a 5:1 ratio.  This means in squads of 10 you will have 2 and in squads of 5 you only need 1.

Recommended configurations:
5x GKT (MC DH, Psycannon) = 230
10x GKT (MC DH, DH, rest Halberds, 2x Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts) = 500

In terms of cost-effectiveness, you only take the big upgrades on squads of 10.  Brotherhood Banner is a must on a big unit of Termies because the +1 attack and auto-passing your roll for Force Weapons is just divine.  The Psybolt upgrade on a full unit of Terminators is more cost effective than spending the same amount of points to upgrade 5.  How you use the units listed above is simple:  The smaller squad is a support squad and objective holder, the bigger squad is a go-getter and should be used very aggressively.  Smaller squads have a smaller footprint of how much trouble they can cause in a game and larger squads attract a shit ton more firepower.  That's why you need the extra bodies in there to soak up all the damage.

Another option is combat squads.  The big unit of Terminators above can split off in two different roles:  5x with the 2x Psycannons can be mid-field support while the BBanner and Hammers go off aggressively.  Thanks to Grand Strategy, you can assign battlefield roles BEFORE using combat squads so you can have 2 scouting squads of Terminators from 1 big squad.

Purifier Squad

Purifiers are basically GKSS on crack.  They do everything they can do but better because they have 2A, cheaper Halberds, Cleansing Flame and cheaper everything else.  Not only that, but you can take 2 special weapons for every 5, making a full squad of them as deadly as Purgation squads.  The only thing that sucks about them is that they're Elite, which can be overcome by Grand Strategy or by taking Crowe.  In short, they have no real weakness except for the amount of points you pay for them.

Recommended configurations:
10x Purifiers (Rhino, MC DH, Halberds, 4x Psycannons) = 340
10x Purifiers (Rhino, MC DH, Halberds, 4x Incinerators) = 300

The awesome thing with combat squads is that you can opt to take a Razorback and have 5 Purifiers fill the role of Purgation squads.  Not only are they cheaper but they have Cleansing Flame and 2 attacks each.  Fearless also guarantees they won't run.  The two builds above provides a support unit and vicious go-getter unit that capitalizes on Incinerators.  Personally, I prefer all the Psycannons I can afford.

Paladin Squad

Paladins are basically Terminators on crack.  2W each with 2+/5++ FNP because of the Apothecary upgrade makes them virtually unkillable by normal means.  The sad fact is that they die just like normal marines to AP1/2 weapons that double their strength value.  Plasma weaponry will take a heavy toll on them and Demolishers/Vindicators will just tear through them like butter.  For the best results, Paladins need Librarians w/ Shrouding to make them truly effective.  This gives them that beautiful 3+ cover save that they all desire and therefore it's imperative that all big guns get silenced ASAP.  Remember though, if you take Paladins, you pay for what you get.

Recommended configurations:
5x Paladins (MC DH, Halberds, 2x MC Psycannons) = 330
10x Paladins (Apoth, 2x MC DH, Halberds, 4x MC Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolt) = 780

One of the biggest strengths of Paladins is their ability to Master-Craft anything.  This gives them a lot of flexibility in terms of what weapons they choose to equip.  For me, the most important weapon to MC is the Psycannon.  S7 Rending is going to take care of business most of the time, all you need to do is hit.  Take advantage of your ability to MC weapons of great importance but keep an eye on your points.  Keep the halberd to hammer ratio 1:5 again and only add an Apothecary if you're taking a squad over 5.

Interceptor Squad

These guys are basically GKSS that count as Jump Infantry.  Even though they move 12" normally, the best thing about these guys is that they can make a once in a game 30" shunt.  This means they can suddenly appear on your enemies' flank or get shots at rear armor.  They're slightly more expensive than normal GKSS, but the utility they can offer in your list is definitely desirable.  Keep in mind that they're Jump Infantry so you can DS them directly into battle if you so desire.

Recommended configuration:
10x Interceptors (MC DH, 2x Psycannons, Psybolts) = 315

Expensive?  Sure.  Keep in mind that the GM can make these guys scoring and the 30" shunt scoring unit is incredibly scary towards the end of the game.  Just be careful when you start teleporting around that you're looking for targets of opportunity.  This means vulnerable points on vehicles, troops out of transports and squads that absolutely need to be destroyed.

Purgation Squad

Even though Purifiers can put out a ridiculous amount of firepower, Purgation squads do several things that they can't.  For one, Purifiers can Astral Aim and shoot through anything they want.  This allows you to do all kinds of drive-by shenanigans where you place your vehicle between you and your target.  Sure, they get a cover save, but the fact that you're behind your Razorback and they can't see you while you can see them is always excellent.

Recommended configurations:
5x Purgation (Razorback, 4x Incinerators) = 145
5x Purgation (Razorback, 4x Psycannons) = 225

The first thing you notice is how dirt cheap the Purgation unit with Incinerators is.  Free Incinerators gives you a squad that's capable of rolling up and destroying entire units at a time.  The price is fantastic and no heavy support choice in the book can deliver the horde killing power as a Incinerator-based Purgation Squad.  The next choice is Psycannons of course, even though they might not seem like the best choice over Purifiers, always remember that they can shoot through solid walls and from behind a Land Raider to hit their mark.

Nemesis Dreadknight

There's not much to say here.  You have a T6 dude that's teleporting around with a 2+/5++ save and has 4W.  What's even more scary is the fact that he's a MC that can tear vehicles apart left and right.  With the Grand Master giving these scout, there's nothing stopping these guys from shunting on your flanks before the game starts and going to town on turn 1.  With that said, I would keep these guys cheap.

Recommended configurations:

Nemesis Dreadknight (Personal Teleporter, Heavy Incinerator) = 235

Nemesis Dreadknight (Heavy Psycannon) = 170

The idea is to shunt towards combat ASAP and apply extreme pressure on the enemy flank.  Just like Vindicators, the more of these guys you have in your army, the more your opponents will freak out and concentrate fire on them.  For that reason alone, the NDK makes their points back in most lists.  The other reason is that they're running around punching vehicles in the face.

Dreadnoughts

Does everyone remember the TLLC/ML Dreadnought that PGK players used back in 3rd?  The reason why is because we had almost no long-range anti-tank what so ever.  You what what changed between 3rd and 5th?  Nothing.  In the current book, PGK don't have access to anything that shoots over 24" that can bust tanks reliably.  All except for one:  The Rifleman Dread w/ Psybolt Ammo.  Every other Dreadnought configuration keep one of the Nemesis Doomfists in exchange for anti-tank weaponry.  Good thing you can always equip a Assault Cannon and give it Psybolt Ammo for a pseudo-Psycannon.

Recommended configurations:
Dreadnought (2x Twin-linked Autocannons, Psybolt Ammo) = 135
Dreadnought (Assault Cannon, Psybolt Ammo) = 130

If you're going for an aggressive Dreadnought that can advance and put down a hail of fire, definitely go with the Psycannon Dreadnought. If you're looking for dedicated Anti-Tank that can hang back and shoot a bunch, the Rifleman Dread w/ Psybolt Ammo is exactly what you're looking for.

Techmarine

The saddest little addition in the world.. forever enslaved to carry combat grenades for his better brothers..

Sample Army Lists

2000
GKSS and Paladins

HQ:
Grand Master (Psycannon, Blind, Rad) = 240
Librarian (+3 powers, Skull) = 170

TROOP:
10x GKSS (Rhino, DH, 2x Psycannons) = 270
10x GKSS (Rhino, DH, 2x Psycannons) = 270
10x GKSS (Rhino, DH, 2x Psycannons) = 270

ELITE:
10x Paladins (Apoth, 2x MC DH, 4x MC Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts) = 780

Pretty generic list featuring a big unit of Paladins.  The GM makes them scoring and the 4x MC Psycannons from that one squad can break up into a firing squad.  The lone servo-skull from the Libby marks special locations that can be contested by DS Paladins or they can deploy offensively.  The rest of the list is just bread and butter GKSS, with no points for MC Hammers sadly.  The only other logical step is dropping the Rad Grenades on the GM, but I really like its persistent effect more than the re-roll.

+++++++++++++++++++++

2000
Purifiers

HQ:
Librarian (MC NFS, +4 Powers, +3x Skull) = 185
Castellan Crowe = 150

TROOP:
10x Purifiers (Rhino, MC DH, Halberds, 4x Psycannons) = 340
10x Purifiers (Rhino, MC DH, Halberds, 4x Psycannons) = 340
10x Purifiers (Rhino, MC DH, Halberds, 4x Psycannons) = 340
10x GKT (MCDH, DH, 2x Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts) = 500

HEAVY:
5x Purgation (Razorback, 4x Incinerators) = 145

This list features 3 full squads of Purifiers and a big squad of scoring Terminators led by a Librarian.  A very in-your-face kind of list, this list begs to be played aggressively.  Set up in mid-field and have the plentiful amount of skulls guide your Terminators down.  The Purgation squad is purely support fire for horde-style armies since the Purifiers and Terminators should handle elites pretty well.  Crowe is there just to unlock the Purifiers and everything else is pretty self-explanatory.  With 14 Psycannons in the list, you shouldn't worry about tank problems.

+++++++++++++++++++++

2000
Balanced

HQ:
Grand Master (Blind, Rad, Skull) = 210

TROOP:
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons) = 275
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons) = 275
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons) = 275

ELITE:
7x Paladins (Apoth, MC DH, 2x MC Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts) = 560

HEAVY:
Dreadnought (2x TLAC, Psybolts) = 135
Dreadnought (2x TLAC, Psybolts) = 135
Dreadnought (2x TLAC, Psybolts) = 135

This is a very balanced list that doesn't have a Librarian.  The Grand Master hangs out with his squad of Paladins while the entire army waits mid-field with your heavy support in the back.  The 3x Rifleman Dreads w/ Psybolt Ammo brings a total of 12 Twin-linked S8 shots across 48" every round.  There's plenty of firepower at the long-range and mid-range range band that your opponents will want to silence your guns.  Too bad they have to dig through a wall of Storm Bolters and Force Weapons for that to happen.

+++++++++++++++++++++

1970
Terminators

HQ:
Grand Master (Psycannon, Blind, Rad) = 240
Librarian (+4 powers) = 170

TROOP:
10x GKT (MCDH, DH, 2x Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts) = 500
10x GKT (MCDH, DH, 2x Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts) = 500

ELITE:
7x Paladins (Apoth, MCDH, 2x MC Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts) = 560

There is a lot of Terminators in this list.  Feel free to drop the Librarian for a full squad of Paladins, but I personally like the Libby in there to help out with psychic defense and Shrouding.  At 50ppm for each Termie and 60+ppm for each Paladin, you WANT that 3+ cover save as often as possible.

+++++++++++++++++++++

2000
Draigo and Paladins

HQ:
Lord Kaldor Draigo = 275
Librarian (+3 powers, 2x Skulls) = 175

TROOP:
7x Paladins (Apoth, MC DH, 2x MC Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts) = 560
5x Paladins (MC DH, 2x MC Psycannon) = 330
5x Paladins (MC DH, 2x MC Psycannon) = 330
5x Paladins (MC DH, 2x MC Psycannon) = 330

The same principle as above with the Librarian and Shrouding except there's a lot more Paladins.  8x MC Psycannons should keep your anti-tank problems at a minimum.  All in all, there's 50 T4 2+ wounds in there, so it's pretty much the most army list you can think of.

+++++++++++++++++++++


1835
Storm Ravens

HQ:
Grand Master (Blind, Rad, Skull) = 210
Librarian (+3 Powers, Teleport Homer) = 180

TROOP:
10x GKSS (MC DH, 2x Psycannons) = 235
10x GKT (MCDH, DH, 2x Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts) = 500

ELITE:
10x Purifiers (MC DH, Halberds, 4x Psycannons) = 300

FAST:
Storm Raven (TLMM) = 205
Storm Raven (TLMM) = 205


GKSS and Purifiers go in the Storm Ravens and flat out towards the enemy lines.  The Librarian Shrouds the SRs and act as a beacon for the Grand Master and his retinue of Terminators.  Once they come in, the fun begins and everyone has a good time.  Well, mainly you.

Having fun with some fun lists

I've been playing a good amount of 40K over Vassal lately and I've having a good time.  The reason why is because the players aren't uber competitive and I'm getting a lot of play with fluffier and more casual armies.  I have no idea what this means.  Does this mean I'm losing my competitive edge?  Or does this mean I'm seeing 40K as more of a fun game than competitive one?  I don't think its neither because I still follow the same min-maxing mentality with every army I build.  Even though most (if not all) of my lists are min-maxed to all hell, they follow a theme.

Check out the lists I've been rolling with lately:

2000

12 kp

HQ:

Swarmlord = 280

+2x Tyrant Guard (Lashwhips) = 130

TROOP:

10x Genestealers (Toxin) = 160

15x Genestealers = 210

11x Termagaunts = 55

+Trevigon (Toxin, Catalyst) = 185

11x Termagaunts = 55

+Trevigon (Toxin, Catalyst) = 185

ELITE:

3x Hive Guard = 150

3x Hive Guard = 150

HEAVY:

Trygon Prime = 240

Trygon = 200

Keep in mind that I've also played with a list that dropped the Tyrant Guard + Trygons for 3x Dakka Fexes in 1 unit.  Boy, those things sure rock face.  You take 2x Devourers with Brainleech on each one and they're putting out 36 Twin-linked S6 shots at BS3.  On average, you're looking at something like ~24 wounds on MEQ per round from a 24" threat range.  As if that isn't enough, you throw in FNP on them and you're looking at 12W at T6 3+ that you need to roll through.  Each one of them is S9 and have 4 attacks each, so once you get in combat with one, you're getting in combat with all of them.  No one wants 12 S9 hits back at them no matter who you are.  Sure, the stupid unit costs 540 points because of their stupid nerf, but they're still putting out ridiculous damage.

Another list that I've been having fun with is..

2000

14 kp

HQ:

Dante = 225

Librarian (JP, MB) = 125

TROOP:

10x ASM (PF, 2x Meltaguns) = 235

10x ASM (PF, 2x Meltaguns) = 235

10x Tacticals (DP, PF, PGun, PCannon) = 245

ELITE:

2x Sanguinary Priest (JP) = 150

Furioso Dreadnought (DP, EA) = 175

Furioso Dreadnought (DP, EA) = 175

FA:

Baal Predator (TLAC/HB) = 145

Baal Predator (TLAC/HB) = 145

Baal Predator (TLAC/HB) = 145

Check that out fellas, rocking the Dante over the Mephiston.  Dante isn't the best choice in the world, but he's one of the more fun and fluffy characters that adds a different dimension of gameplay.  The 3 Drop Pods is there so 2 of them can come down on turn 1.  Guess who comes down?  The Furiosos of course!  The idea deployment sees 2 Dreads drop down, 3 Baals push forward and 2 squads of full power large squad ASM rolling at them with Shield of Sanguinius ready to go.  With so much threat pushed against you so quickly, the opponent sweats, makes mistakes and allows his army to get rolled by your superior cunning.  Dante can take his squad in with Tactical Precision if the need calls for it, or if you can't find any good targets of opportunity on turn 1, or you can choose to withhold your army and let the Furiosos pressure the opponent while you drop in and outflank with Baals.  I don't recommend this unless your opponent is really bunkered in and is loaded with heavy artillery that you absolutely need to drop on to.

As if that isn't enough, I'm also playing my Death Guard:

2000

10 kp

HQ:

Typhus = 225

TROOP:

10x Plague Marines (Rhino, PF/Icon, 2x Melta) = 330

10x Plague Marines (Rhino, PF/Icon, 2x Melta) = 330

10x Plague Marines (Rhino, PF/Icon, 2x Melta) = 330

ELITE:

8x Terminators (Champ/CF, MoN, HF, 5x CbM) = 335

HEAVY:

3x Obliterators = 225

3x Obliterators = 225

This is definitely not the best list, but it's fluffy as all hell and very fun.  Typhus isn't terrible really:  He has T4(5) and his 2+/5++ FNP 4W really gives him a lot of staying power.  His psychic abilities are also really useful:  Winds of Chaos is a template weapon that wounds/glances on 4+ and ignores armor saves.  The best part is that there's no stopping it, it just happens.  All of Typhus' psychic powers are cast automatically.  Nurgle's Rot is his other ability and it's surprisingly awesome at killing horde units trying to swarm him.  Typhus goes with the big squad of Terminators and they can either DS in near a Icon or be deployed on the field.  The Oblits gives some much needed anti-tank coverage and Typhus' Terminators are really fluffy and awesome.  I can't wait for another CSM codex, I want a better set of evil marines.

In short, if you're looking for some fun games, go download Vassal 40K and play some games online with me.  You can find everything you need here.

Revisiting Tyranids

So Tyranids have been out for a year now and people have got in a lot of games with them.  I've heard many things from many different people, but one thing's for sure:  A lot of players don't like the current book.  To make a long story short, they find the book stale, some thing's don't make sense, it's overcrowded and limited in competitive options.

This is not going to be another one of those posts complaining about Tyranids, but it'll be a post to talk about why I think Tyranids are actually fun.  Call me a loyalist bastard all you want (considering I have like 4 MEQ armies), but Tyranids is still pretty fun to play.  Let me rephrase; Tyranids is a blast to play in a semi-competitive to non-competitive environment.  At the top tier competitive levels, Tyranids just isn't there.  Now I know this depends from region to region, but there's a lot of competitive options from other books that causes a lot of issue for the options that Tyranids like to field competitively.  Big scary bugs are indeed pretty scary, but you can only get so many of them on the field before things get melta'd or plasma'd to death.  Compared to the Nidzilla of last edition, the combat effectiveness vs. cost just isn't there anymore.

I've been playing with my 2K Swarmlord list on Vassal lately and I have yet to lose a game.  Sure, I'm not playing against the most competitive lists vs. the most competitive people, but that's exactly what I'm talking about.  Tyranids might not be the best army competitively, but they're definitely not out of the game.  Check out my list:


1996
12 kp

HQ:
Swarmlord = 280

TROOP:
12x Genestealers = 168
12x Genestealers = 168
14x Termagaunts = 70
+Trevigon (Toxin Sacs, Catalyst, Onslaught) = 200
14x Termagaunts = 70
+Trevigon (Toxin Sacs, Catalyst, Onslaught) = 200

ELITE:
Deathleaper = 140
3x Hive Guard = 150
3x Hive Guard = 150

HEAVY:
Trygon = 200
Trygon = 200

The Termagaunts wall the Hive Guard, the Hive Guard wall the Trevigons and Swarmlord and the Trygons can't really hide.  A lot of people like to DS Trygons in every game, but I see them as great fire magnets if the opponent is lacking long range-anti tank.  You throw them on the board and all of a sudden, your opponent's gameplan changes completely.

For some reason, a lot of people don't like Genestealers either.  I still think they're one of the best counter-charging units in the game.  Any unit that's trapped in combat with fearless Nids is a dead unit once they receive a charge from Genestealers.  You can keep them behind your main wall of units (behind the Swarmlord) and anything that hits that wall of flesh in front of you is dead.  The best thing about Genestealers is that they work perfectly with the Swarmlord in this list.  Having that +1 to reserves and re-rolls for outflanking means that the stealers are insanely deadly and unpredictable.  It completely mind-melts your opponent's deployment, his actions and the way the game is played.  No one wants outflanking GS running down their lines.. especially when you have close combat with a tarpit on a denied flank.  If you have the points, Toxin Glands makes them the premiere MEQ-killer in the game for the points.  With the Swarmlord's Preferred Enemy, things just get ridiculous.

Another thing about Genestealers is that they are infiltration units.  That means after both sides deployed, you have the luxury to start 18" away from him in a very uncomfortable position.  This can draw a lot of fire away from your primary army and cause a lot of problems for heavy weapon teams.  The right way to play Tyranids is to provide your opponent with so many threats that he can't possibly deal with them all.  Genestealers are one of those units that gives me those options.  Sure, they lose their frag grenades in this edition, but they are still deadly enough to pressure and threaten any unit in the game.

You guys probably look at this list and wonder why I didn't take another unit of Hive Guard.  Honestly, I don't really care for them.  Zoanthropes are amazing pressure vs. MEQ and depending on your metagame, they can destroy things left and right with their psychic attacks.  If you're playing a Space Wolf/Eldar heavy environment, they're not going to do much, but they're not necessarily out of the game.  As you can see, the only thing I have that can reliably punch through AV14 is my Trygons and my Swarmlord.  S6 and 2d6 to armor pen is enough to punch through the thick armor of a Land Raider on slightly above average rolls.  Hive Guard is good for taking out light transports and skimmers because Impaler Cannons makes any light transport worry.  LoS simply doesn't apply to them and often times then not, they're not getting cover from the shots they take.

What I did take in the place of that 3rd Hive Guard unit is the Deathleaper.  Now I don't know about you guys, but this guy's hysterical.  You can't see/shoot at him if he's chilling in cover.  Not only do you halve the results of your night shooting roll vs. him (max roll is 12" range), but he makes all infantry units within 12" of him roll one less dice when moving through difficult terrain.  Your opponent is never going to get near him unless you play it wrong.  Once you have combat going with enemies locked in close combat, the Deathleaper keeps anyone trying to help them out of combat.  Not saying that DL is weak in combat, WS9, S6, I7 and 5+ rending makes a lot of units cry.  The D3 leadership nerf on enemy characters is also great at nerfing down psychic hoods and watching beefy characters run off the map never gets tiring.  Probably one of the best things about the Deathleaper is also his ability to contest points at the last minute.  Unless, of course, your opponent plays it right and spreads his unit on top of a point so the leaper has to deploy 1" away.  Oh, and before I forget, once this dude gets on the board, the Swarmlord is calling in reserves at +2 next turn.  Pheromone Trail also allows units DS'ing in like Trygons come in without scatter 6" away from him so they act as mini-homing beacons.

Lastly, I want to talk about the Swarmlord.  He is the centerpiece to my army and I take him because of the following reasons:

• I love the idea of him and the model that's represented.  I mean, look at him.  He has 4 freaking Bone Sabres and looks absolutely bad ass.  Besides, he's the only one that's ever slapped Marneus like a small child.
• His Bone Sabres absolutely destroy enemy ICs.  They inflict instant death regardless of toughness and any successful invulnerable saves have to be re-rolled.  All ICs should just cower in fear.
• WS9 and Blade Parry laughs at most units trying to hit him.  Marines hit him on 5s and 4+ invulnerable keeps the fists that do get through at bay.
• 18" Synapse range is very important for tarpitting units and having your Genestealers come in to finish the job.
• Swarm Leader gives me 18" of Preferred Enemy, Furious Charge or Acute Senses.  This is free, can't be stopped and just happens every turn.  The 2x psychic abilities a turn comes in handy as well.
• Last, but certainly not least, is Alien Cunning.  +1 to reserve rolls is boss and the ability to re-roll outflank is great with Genestealers.  I love this ability and you should love it too.

Back to having fun with Tyranids!  I love my Swarmlord.