Grey Knights Project Log

Battle Plan:
Build 30 PAGK
Build 10 Paladins
Build 2 GK Heroes (GM and Libby)
Paint said models
Maybe base said models.. if I don't feel like killing myself at that point

Projected timeline - 1 week assembly time, 2 weeks painting time

4-5-11
Still got those Terminators lying around.  Played some Warmachine today and I'm making a BR for them right now.

4-2-11
Cleaned up all the Terminator parts and they're ready for assembly tomorrow.  Taking it pretty slow with these guys because I want them perfect.

4-1-11
It's friday night!  I glued 7 Terminator legs to their bases and put together some torsos.  I also filed down some Halberds and got some stuff ready to go to make my standard 7x Paladin squad.

3-31-11
Not doing a damn thing tonight, I'm tired.

Sisters of Battle incoming?

BoK put out a nice little picture for their members today..

Would match up with that Dark Eldar video interview with Phil Kelly and Jes Goodwin.  I predict Phil will be writing the book and Jes will be doing the models.  This would also match up with the rumored 6th Ed. starter box containing Sisters vs. Chaos Space Marines.

Oh boy.. get excited.

Some things I don't like

I know I've been going on about all the good things about the Grey Knight codex lately and that's perfectly fine.  However, I must confess that I don't like the book as much as I want.  In this post, you'll find out why.

• The essence of what makes Grey Knights special is gone:  WS5, S6, Storm Bolters giving +1 attack, the panoply of special rules, and different degrees of psychic power displayed through the weapons they wield.  I loved the idea of Grand Masters being so psychically powerful their Nemesis Force Weapons were Force Weapons (incredibly rare back in the day).  Now, my Grey Knights feel like Grey Marines.  And no, the Force Weapons and Storm Bolters for 20 points do not do it justice.
• I don't want to be just another Marine Chapter.  Sorry Mat Ward, but I do not like the idea of being grey-colored Marines with 1000 Battle Brothers and a slightly irregular Chapter organization.
• Space Marine super heroes?  Seriously, what's with the fluff on Draigo?  Maybe Michael Bay and 5-year old kids love the whole unstoppable, utterly badass, unslayable superman, but I prefer someone a little more realistic.
• What happened to the puritan-lore that is what Grey Knights is supposed to be?  What's with this random Daemon sword in the hands of a Purifier's Champion?
• Why in the world is the entire codex filled with sorcery and psychic abilities?  Sure, Grey Knights are supposed to be psykers, but this is way overboard man.  It feels like a Thousand Sons Codex more so than what Grey Knights is supposed to be.
• Why are all three Inquisition elements in the book?  This is a Grey Knight book.  Grey Knights are the Chamber Militant of the Ordo Malleus.  Why the hell is Herecitus and Xenos bullshit doing in my book?  Not just that, how come there's barely anything about the Inquisition in the fluff but they're represented in the rules?  This just looks like a last minute higher-up insertion.
• Can someone please tell me why the most elite of the Space Marine Chapters (and this is Ward's own words) incapable of taking Land Raiders as dedicated transports?  Why are there no Librarian Dreadnoughts when our entire Chapter is composed of Psykers?  Why is there like 30 grenade options and not things like Grimoire of True Names or Sacred Incense?  You could of easily named Rad Grenades Grimoire of True Names and Blind Grenades Sacred Incense.  And Jokero monkeys man... seriously?
• Lastly, can someone tell me what I'm going to do with my Inquisitorial Stormtroopers and Grey Knight Terminators w/ Storm Shields?  Thanks.

Sorry guys, but I'm a little old school.  Some of you newer bloods won't agree with me and that's OK.  This is just a Longbeard's grumble.

PGK List Building 101

Now that I have a good amount of games under my belt as PGK, I think I'll touch upon the foundations of what makes a good list.  This will be different from the tactica because I won't discuss the application of said unit.  Instead, I'll talk about what units I've found most useful and which ones I include first when designing an army.

What HQ should I take?

In all the games I've played so far, I'm confident in saying that the Librarian is the best choice in any army lists  For 1500/1750 or even 1850 point players, the Librarian will add more to your army than the Grand Master.  In fact, I would only take the Grand Master in 2K points.  The Librarian adds a huge spell pool to your army in addition to psychic defense.  I think the best thing about the Librarian is that the spells he offers increases provides your army with everything you can ever want.  Might of Titans makes you tear through tanks, Shrouding keeps your dudes alive and Sanctuary prevents you from being assaulted.  Another great thing about the Librarian is that he's a Lv.2 Psyker, so you can cast Hammer Hand from him and stack it with Might.  This frees up your Paladin's abilities to auto-cast/pass Instant Death from the BBanner.  Sanctuary and Shrouding is also cast on your enemies' turn and thus increases the amount of survivability your elite army deserves.  The only thing he can't do is carry Rad or Blind grenades, which is one of the things I advocate when taking the Grand Master.

I see the Librarian as a staple in PGK play for the reasons mentioned above, but the Grand Master is definitely no slouch.  He's a good fighter, superior shooter and can carry grenades that seriously changes the way your enemies interact with his unit.  The best thing about him is Grand Strategy and by taking him alone your opponent's acknowledge the fact that your units can be deadlier in combat, can outflank him or count as scoring when they otherwise couldn't.  This opens up a repertoire of options otherwise unavailable to your army.  Truly, one of the only reasons the GM is not a staple is his lack of a psychic hood.  Psychic defense is so important in the games that I play that not having it is seriously detrimental to my army.  Sometimes you just can't afford having that Paroxysm or Doom casted on your men.



What Troops should I take?

I highly recommend the generic 10x GKSS w/ MC DH on the Justicar, 2x Psycannons and Psybolt upgrade in a Rhino.  This comes out to 295 points of flexibility that can take on any and all comers.  I've been taking two of these in every list I've played so far and they're truly amazing.  They can pop tanks from their top hatch or dispatch hordes of infantry from 24" after disembarking.  The S5 Storm Bolters makes a mockery out of T3 and MEQ units suffer heavily as well.  In close combat, you almost always want the charge because 1A is not impressive at all.

Smaller squads of scoring units inside Razorbacks is also an option, but I advocate having more power-armored mans is always better.  Unless of course, you're building a min-maxed gunline.  More mans equate to more wounds, more shots and more force weapon attacks.  Smaller mans means you're relying on the Razorback to do the work and not your guys inside.  It also means you'll be wiped off the board a lot quicker if you're transport disappears, but the point cost difference is very noticeable.  Either way, I recommend the full 10-man squad of GKSS.

What Elites should I take?

This is a hard one because PGK is very points heavy.  If you want to make a Purifiers list, you're going to have to sac some Paladins.  If you want Paladins, Purifiers will be too expensive in the army you want to take, especially if you want to make them troops.  Both Purifiers and Paladins are outrageously great units in my opinion.  Both are fairly expensive, but the Purifiers probably the best thing to wear power-armor since Grey Hunters.  At 26ppm (with Halberd), they're an expensive investment but they're nothing compared to the 55+ points you're spending on a Paladin.  Keep in mind that although both are very good, they function differently in their roles and how you play them.

For this reason, I would give Paladins and Purifiers a tie.  I play with Paladins personally because I like the idea of "heroic" terminators whereas players like Kirby, swear by Purifiers.  Both are very solid investments but you have to keep an eye on your points.  Since both of these units are elite, a Grand Master can make these scoring in games of 2K or so.

What about Fast Attack?

I really dig Interceptors now that I've used them.  Ten of these guys with 2x Psycannons and Psybolts do a lot of damage when used correctly.  Not only can they relocate in a blink of an eye, but they put down just as much firepower as a full GKSS squad coming out of a Rhino.  Keep these guys behind a building or out of LoS and use their shunt to surprise rape units in the open.  Highly recommended, but their points and non-scoring nature (unless you have a GM) puts them in the same category as Paladins and Purifiers.

What about Heavy slots?

Two units come to my mind here and they're both excellent in different ways.  The first is the Rifledread w/ Psybolt Ammo and the other is 5x Purgation w/ Incinerators in a Razorback w/ Psybolts.  Both are really cheap options and both excel in their role.  The Rifledread puts out reliable S8 shots from 48" and the Purgation squad, literally, burns down anything they touch.  Aside from the Purifiers, not many things in the army can burn down entire squads of infantry in a single phase without much effort.  Want a fun flying MC that can shunt 30"?  Feel free to add the Dreadknight to your list.  Personally, I'd rather see my points go into longer range anti-tank.

What are my transport options?

In short, there are 4 main transport options for PGK players:  The Rhino, the Razorback, Storm Raven or Land Raider.  At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself what each one does for your army.  The Rhino is the cheap man's transport and perfectly capable of supporting the likes of GKSS and Purifiers.  The RB is designed for MSU GKSS players who like to shoot and people who like Purgation squads.  The Storm Raven is perfect for transporting GKSS across the field in a hurry, especially if you have a Librarian inside with Shrouding.  Last but not least, we have the Land Raider, who has been the workhorse for PGK players since we can remember.

Personally, I only see Rhinos and Razorbacks worth taking and the reason is quite simple:  We no longer need the dedicated TLLC from the LRs as our anti-tank, and the Storm Raven is just a AV12 tin-can.  The LR is no longer a big player because Psycannons are now S7 Rending and we have the cheaper and much more affordable Rifledread w/ Psybolts.  In fact, in terms of usage, I would place the SR higher than the LR because of their speed, payload and turbo-boosting cover saves w/ Shrouding.  That in itself makes them useful, but you still have to pay a hefty price for them.  Use with caution, and only with a Librarian.

So what does all this mean?

It means your unit bucket for PGK should look something like this:

• Librarian as a staple HQ
• Grand Master is great, but only if you can afford the points (recommended for larger games)
• 10-man squads of GKSS in Rhinos is great, and fulfills the 2 troop slots perfectly
• Paladins, Purifiers and Interceptors are all great units, it's all about personal preference at that time
• Rifleman Dreads w/ Psybolts are a must-have in most lists, but don't discount the 5x Purgation w/ Incinerators.
• Transport depend entirely on your army composition, but I wouldn't recommend the more expensive transport options because of their price.
• Grey Knights can do well at lower point games, but they suffer from elite army syndrome.

With that being said, here is the victorious army building formula I've been using:

1. Add Librarian.
2. Add 2x 10x GKSS squads in Rhinos w/ 2x Psycannons and Psybolts.
3. Add either Paladins, Purifiers or Interceptors as my third unit choice.
4. Add at least 2x Rifledreads w/ Psybolt Ammo locked and loaded.
5. Now add further upgrades for the units already added if you need it.
6. Then add some more to bring up your points and what your meta is.
7. If I'm playing at 1750, I add a GM to bring it up to 2K.

The end result looks something like this:

1750
10 kp

HQ:
Librarian (3x Powers, NFH, 3x Skulls) = 185

TROOP:
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons, Psybolts) = 295
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons, Psybolts) = 295
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons, Psybolts) = 295

ELITE:
6x Paladins (MC DH, 2x MC Psycannon, BBanner) = 410

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


2000
10 kp

HQ:
Grand Master (Blind, Rad, MC NFS, MC Psycannon) = 250
Librarian (3x Powers, MC NFH, 2x Skulls) = 185

TROOP:
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons, Psybolts) = 295
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons, Psybolts) = 295

ELITE:
7x Paladins (Apoth, MC DH, 2x MC Psycannon, BBanner, Psybolts, 2x MC) = 570

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

A guide to GK unit upgrades

In this article, I will highlight the importance of certain unit upgrades for Grey Knights.  Keep in mind that I do my guides in a very cost effective manner.  If I don't think the unit upgrade isn't worth it, I won't mention it.  Please, feel free to disagree via questions or comments.

When to Master-Craft?

For 5 points, there's a lot of reasons why you should MC weapons.  You increase accuracy in your shots and you improve the lethality of your attacks in CC.  A GM or Libby with a MC weapon makes him much more dangerous in combat because you're going to be landing more Force Weapon hits.  Once Force Weapons are activated, everything in the game that lives or breathes will fear you without question.  Eternal Warrior is the only thing that can save them at that point.  My rule to Master-crafting is simple and effective:  Always MC your Psycannons if you can, always MC your Daemonhammers and always MC your HQ's weapons if you can fit the points.  Keep in mind that MC is only 5 points and most of the time you can put it on any weapon you wish.  That means when you want something to hit; when you NEED something to hit, 5 points is a very small price to pay.  All squad leaders can MC their weapons, another thing to keep in mind.

What NFW should I use?

This depends entirely on playstyle and personal preference but I'll tell you what I prefer:  Halberds on everything with 2 attacks, Swords on your vital HQs and Hammers on anything that's non-IC, can't be picked out and in a 5:1 ratio to any infantry squad.  This means no IC in your army should ever carry a Hammer.  Grand Masters are I5 so you want to take advantage of that and Librarians have the exact stats as a Paladin.  For Librarians, if you favor protection, go with a NFS to make him 4++ in CC.  Sometimes I prefer the extra early hitting power so I give the Librarian a MC Halberd.  For Grand Masters, I almost always take the NFS because it gives him a 3++ in close combat.  Nothing else in the army is capable of giving you 3++ in CC for the price and his I5 is easily capable to matching most troops and HQs in combat.  A I7 Halberd should only be considered if you want to outpace really speedy HQs.

Remember what I said about the ratio between Hammers and infantry.  It doesn't matter if you're using Terminators, Paladins or GKSS, you always want to maintain a 5:1 ratio unless you have a specific purpose.  This means if you want a close-range tank-busting team of S10 Hammers, I might take a 5:2 ratio of Hammers.  This is viable, but ONLY do this if the Hammers are free or very cheap.  You don't have Storm Shields so don't think you can weather the same kind of damage to swing less.  Grey Knight Terminators rely on killing things in combat first to minimize the number of attacks back.

So when do you use swords?  You only use swords if you want to play defensive in nature on units utilizing invulnerable saves.  This should mean all PAGK (Power-armored Grey Knights) should not use swords right?  No.  On everything but Purifiers, you keep the swords for 2 key reasons:  The Halberds are expensive and with one measly attack, you're not taking full advantage of your speedy potential.  That means swords stay on GKSS and Interceptor squads because it's cost effective.

But what about Falchions?  Speed is more important than the +1 attack.  Offense, in my opinion, is more important than taking armor saves as defense.  Killing the enemy before they have the chance to strike eliminates the possibility to rolling poorly on armor saves.  This not only eliminates the use of defensive measures entirely but it also kills the enemy.  There's nothing better than that, especially when you consider that falchions costs points to upgrade.

Lastly, we have Warding Staves.  These things should be the last thing you look at because they're very limited in use.  They're expensive, takes away a I6 Halberd, only works in CC and did I mention it's too expensive?  I don't know about you folks, but I'd rather kill whatever I touch rather than relying on a expensive, purely defensive option.  The only time these should be looked at is on Paladins, and I honestly wouldn't take 1 unless I have excessive points (and this is never).

When to buy a Psycannon?

Always.  The Psycannon is one of the best weapon upgrades to grace our codex and I embrace its use in full effect.  Not only can you use it on the move or standing still, but the S7 Rending is one of the best options to punch through enemy armor.  In fact, it's the most reliable way to break through AV14 Land Raiders since meltas are such a rarity.  If your army has the option to take 1:5 or 2:10, go for it.  Purifiers and Purgation units can utilize 4 at max squads and that's always a good anti-armor option.  As for the subject of taking an 50 point MC Psycannon on an Grand Master, I think it's worth the points if you're planning to shoot it a lot.  BS6 with a re-roll is no joke and 4 shots per turn adds a lot to the army over the course of the game.  Keep in mind that Paladins can MC the Psycannons that they can take, so make sure you always spend that little extra to make it happen.  MC Psycannons can transform that missed opportunity to a dead Land Raider.

But what about Incinerators or Psilencers?

Psilencers are absolute ass compared to the Psycannon.  Incinerators, on the other hand, are great weapons.  Even though Incinerators are amazing, they clash with Psycannons for upgrade slots and that's the only reason they're ranked behind.  I guess it completely depends on your metagame.  If your club plays with a lot of mech, Psycannons are definitely the preferred upgrade.  If your club enjoys playing with plenty of boots on the ground and horde units, load up on the Incinerators because they're the best template weapons available for their cost.

When to take Psybolt Ammunition?

You take Psybolt Ammo on big squads of infantry or on vehicles with a good amount of bolter weapons.  Keep in mind that if you upgrade your Hurricane Bolters with Psybolts, they no longer count as defensive weapons.  Razorbacks with a 5 point upgrade become little Assault Cannons.  Assault Cannons with these become the same as a Psycannon.  These are also fantastic on Rifleman Dreads because 4 BS4 S8 shots makes a huge difference when trying to punch through enemy armor.  Large squads of infantry shooting S5 Storm Bolters also do serious damage to troops left in the open.  It also gives you the opportunity to hurt AV11 Rhinos.  Frankly, the best part to S5 Storm Bolters is that you start wounding T4 66% of the time instead of 50% and T3 83% of the time instead of 66%.  That's a pretty big difference.

What kind of grenades should I take on my HQs?

My must-takes are Blind Grenades and the Rad Grenades.  They can't be blocked by any reason, isn't random and has a fixed result.  Defensive nades reduce the amount of damage your squad will take in combat and Rad nades increase your squad's combat effectiveness.  Neither of these require your IC to be in base to base with the enemy.  Against T3 opponents, you don't even need to Hammer Hand to to start instant killing models (via double S vs. T) and wounding on 2s.  When fighting MEQ (T4 3+), Rad grenades with Hammer Hand result in 2+ wounds across the board and a huge boost in combat potential.  Rad grenades are also huge against MC creatures where you'd otherwise need 5s or 6s to wound.

Other grenade options are Empyrean Brain Mines and Psychostroke Grenades.  Brain Mines don't really work because you'll be killing most things you outspeed anyway.  Those you can't guarantee kills on don't really care.  Mines won't really protect you against faster HQs or CC specialists and most hidden fists won't be in base to base for it to work.  Psychotroke Grenades are great and fun and can have all kinds of funny effects on your opponent, but it's not guaranteed and it "might" increase your chances at killing stuff in CC.  For me, it's all about the guarantee and not the fear of possibility.  There's enough possibility in a game of dice to begin with, so why add another layer of random?  If you can spare the points, feel free to take Rad and Psychotroke nades for extra lols.  Just know that I'll take Rads over Psychostrokes any day of the week because rolling a 1 in a game-changing assault is asshairs.

When to take Servo-skulls?

Always.  They help with your Deep Strike placement, prevents Infiltrators from setting up and pushes Scouts back a respectable distance.  The most important reason to take Servo-skulls is DS assistance.  There's nothing that sucks more than having your expensive GKs mishap when you need them the most.  How many you take of these damn things depends entirely on how many points you have left.

When to take the Brotherhood Banner and Apothecary?

I only take the BBanner on big squads of Terminators.  If I have 7 or more, I almost always take the BBanner because the extra attack and free pass on activating Force Weapons is just divine.  The idea is that you HH with the Libby and then use the Terminator's power to auto-activate.  This way you get the +S in addition to having Instant Death wounds.  I use the same philosophy on the Apothecary and even more so when there's important ICs attached.  Some people believe the Apothecary to be too expensive on Paladin squads and I agree with them to a degree.  In squads of 5, I never take a Apothecary because I don't see them as a main fighting force.  If I have a squad of 7 and some ICs attached, I will always take the Apoth because he makes his points back in a hurry.  As long as you save 3 missed wounds on any of the models you have there, you make the Apoth's points back.  Of course you can always take another Paladin to save some points and add some more extra firepower, but there'll always be games where you'll roll poorly the first time.  I personally like having the additional failsafe.

More PGK Battle Reports!

Oh man, so many games, so little time to write.  The good thing though is that I have got a ton of good experience in so I'm ready to share my results.  In these reports, you'll see optimized and balanced army lists because that's the way to victory.  I'll keep these BRs in note form because some of the games were ridiculous.


First game was against Tyranids:

Highlights here was that the game was Capture and Control on Pitched Battle.  The army list I used was this:

2000

HQ:
Grand Master (MC Psycannon, Blind, Rad) = 245
Librarian (4x Powers, Psybolts, 3x Skulls) = 190

TROOP:
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons, Psybolts) = 295
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons, Psybolts) = 295

ELITE:
7x Paladins (Apoth, MC DH, 2x MC Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts, 2x MC) = 570

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

• I forgot to put the skulls on the board and I rolled like ass on the scatter with my Paladins.  I mishapped and rolled a 1 on the table so my entire squad of GM, Libby and Paladins would of all died.  Good thing my opponent was a champ and reminded me of my skulls I forgot to place.  After a re-do on the scatter, my Paladins landed in front of his entire army of Termagaunts and went to town.
• The Paladins with the GM and Libby executed most of his entire army.  I must of went through a hundred gaunts (no joke); after shooting, assaulting and having him dig through Sanctuary.  When I plowed through everything and got in range of his Trevigon, Tyrannofex and Hive Tyrant, he forfeit.  His exact words were:  "I have never seen something take so much damage."  Yes, Paladins are absolute gods vs. normal attacks/shooting.
• My Rifledreads played counter-battery and they went through plenty of Hive Guard and forced others to go to ground.  HG die even through cover saves and any retaliation was stopped by Fortitude.  They just kept on shooting until Turn 5 when they were finally silenced by lucky shots from the Tyrannofex.
• Paroxysm is absolutely brutal if I can't block it with my psychic hood.  The one time it went off saw a drastic decrease in combat effectiveness and shooting from my Paladin squads.  This just shows me how important psychic defense really is.
• My GKSS held my points really well.  They shot at anything that got close and took advantage of cover to minimize damage.  For the points, I'm very satisfied that I had a unit that can put down so much fire and enjoy the safety of their Rhinos against heavier targets.

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

My second game was against Orks and it was 1500 points:

1500

HQ:
Librarian (3x Powers, 3x Skulls) = 180

TROOP:
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons) = 275
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons) = 275
10x GKT (MC DH, DH, rest Halberds, 2x Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts) = 500

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

• I played well this game, but man.. dice were absolutely horrible.  The mission was 3 objectives and it was Pitched Battle.
• Early game blew up a Battle Wagon with the Psycannons shooting out of the Rhino and the explosions pinned his squad inside.  My DS came in on the spot with my Librarian and Terminators and they shot the Shoota squad to death almost.
• Next round, his Nob squad with Cybork Bodies, FNP and all different layouts WAAGH'd and came closer with another squad of Sluggas.  OK, no big deal.  I Sanctuary, he fails a couple here and there and assaults me through difficult + dangerous terrain.  I activate force weapons with Hammer Hand and have the Terminators swing at the Nob squad with 21 Instant Death attacks at I6 S5 and deal 1 wound.  Long story short, I lost everything but 2 Terminators even though managed to kill the Warboss before he got to swing his Klaw with my Libby.
• Next round I blow up some other vehicles and pinned another squad from the damage inflicted.  I still had a chance I thought, that was until I assaulted his Nob squad with my GKSS squad who tried to bail out the 2 Termies.  I activate force weapons, charge with 17 attacks and do no wounds.  He attacks back and kills everything I had.
• So what did I learn?  Even though I played well, I rolled like shit and my elite army suffered for it.  There's just nothing I can do with those kind of rolls.  It's cool, we'll get 'em next time.

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

Game 3 was the most hysterical:

2000

HQ:
Grand Master (MC Psycannon, Blind, Rad, 2x Skulls) = 255

TROOP:
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons, Psybolts) = 295
10x GKSS (Rhino, MC DH, 2x Psycannons, Psybolts) = 295

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

ELITE:
7x Paladins (Apoth, MC DH, 2x MC Psycannons, BBanner, Psybolts, 2x MC) = 570

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

• Guess what his list was?  Daemons.  Guess what?  I lost.  In fact, I lost 9 kp (he tabled me) vs. 6 kp.  The mission was obviously Kill Points on Pitched Battle and I had the first turn.
• Let me tell you the reason why I lost:  He was the same Blood Angels player I played earlier in my BRs and I ran over his precious marines with my GKs.  He, in turn, decides to build a mono-Khorne Daemon army with Blessing of the Blood God all over the place.  Mat Ward, in all his genius, decides to give Grey Knights all Force Weapons.  BotBG gives all Khorne daemons a 2+ invulnerable vs. Force Weapons.  What makes it even more hysterical is that I didn't take a Libby this game because I had no idea I was going to face his list, and even if I had a Libby, I'd never give him Dark Excommunication.  I just find it really ironic that Grey Knights, in all their daemonhunting glory, is extremely handicapped vs. Khorne daemons.
• You know what, despite the obvious handicap, I played the game out and played extremely well.  I focus fired my GKSS and Interceptor squads into his Flesh Hounds and used my Rhinos to block his units and cover mine from assault.  Combined fire from multiple squads destroyed his Bloodthirster and one squad of Flesh Hounds on first turn.
• Next turn he got the charge off from a Daemon Prince of Khorne w/ Wings and he killed/tied up a GKSS for the entire game.  This went on forever because I just couldn't get past his saves.  His Flesh Hounds got into assault with my Pallies and they tied them up for a good amount as well.  Even though I killed a bunch of the hounds, those 2+ saves kept my Pallies tied in combat along with one of my Rifledreads.  I think my Pallies got tarpitted for 2 rounds, which isn't too bad, but that's still rounds they're not shooting.
• I charged one of my Rifledreads into his Bloodletter squads to tie them up since they couldn't hurt him but that didn't stop his Crushers who were slugging towards my Pallies.  To make things worse, those Crushers also had Skulltaker riding with them and that is a serious problem.
• Even though my Interceptor Squad shot one of his Princes down, the fact he had 3 with Wings overwhelmed my normal units and they couldn't do any damage to him because of the 2+ invul once he's in combat.
• The Pallies eventually broke free from the Flesh Hounds and shot/charged the squad of Blood Crushers.  Rad nades, Psyk-out nades, Hammerhand and BBanner put down 5 from assault and 2 from shooting.  This left Skulltaker alone in there to swing at my Paladins and he didn't manage to Rend/ID any to death.  One of my Pallies took a wound, he loses combat by 9 and makes all his 3+ armor saves.  Awesome.
• Next turn, I get charged by a Herald on a Chariot and another Daemon Prince; both with Blessing of the Blood God.  Though my Pallies fought bravely, Skulltaker beheaded my Grand Master, my Paladins did nothing to his units because of Blessing and they lost combat and ran off the field.
• At the end of the game, I analyzed my execution and battle plan and realized I didn't do anything wrong.  Everyone did what they're supposed to do, it's just that 2+ invuls in close combat vs. me means I kill nothing or get tarpitted.  Shooting is great, but with wings on all the Princes, a lot of field saturation (didn't help he got all his reserves in on time and without scatter), and beast-charging Flesh Hounds with Blessing means I'm in a world of shit.
• It really sucks that the Librarian and the Dreadknight are the only ones to carry Dark Excommunication and it sucks even more because I'll never take that spell.  Against anything but Daemons, it's worthless and even if you get it off, all you need to do is not be in base to base with the Librarian and it doesn't work.  Did Mat Ward forget about Blessing of the Blood God when he made all Grey Knights carry Force Weapons?  I wonder..
• Lastly, I would like to note that I'm a fan of the Interceptors.  The 30" shunt gave me the ability to reposition instantly and support my GKSS squads in the execution of his Bloodthirster and Flesh Hounds.  If they didn't have the extra fire support, I would of had a BT with Blessing amok my lines and that would of meant a lot of dead dudes.

PGK Reflections

So I've been playing quite a few games with Grey Knights and I have some vital battlefield experience to share.  This will be a semi-battle report in addition to a full blown analysis of the units I've played with lately.

I played a game with a all termie list last night and I wasn't too happy with their performance.  Small model count and terminator armies always suffer from bad rolling.  Not saying that my rolling was terribad, but it was mediocre.  Mediocre is not allowed in army with only 27 models.  As most of you know, 40K is a wound saturation game.  You shoot something enough, force enough armor saves and no matter how amazing you are, you will die.  Terminators suffer from this problem.

Last night's game was against CSM and I was playing with 2x 10x units of Terminators and a unit of 7x Paladins.  The task force was led by a Grand Master w/ Psycannon and a Librarian with a bunch of skulls scattered around the battlefield.  At the end of the game, I drew a pretty conclusive analysis of the battle:

• Low model count and average rolls is NOT OK.  You might make 7 armor saves one round and think you're pretty badass, but when you fail 4 on each squad of Termies in 1 round of enemy shooting you'll quickly think overwise.
• Grey Knight Terminators are very badass indeed, but when you're looking at ~50ppm (due to upgrades) with 5+ invuls and nothing better, this forces one strict policy:  Be in cover or die.  A squad of enemy CSM Termies let loose with a crap-ton of Combi-Plasma and I lost 6 guys, just like that.
• Cover is needed to keep Terminators alive from shooting, but cover also drastically reduce their ability to move around the battlefield and help score.
• DS is good, but it should not be relied on.  The fact that my Paladins arrived on the bottom of Turn 5 is testament to this:  I rolled a 3 on 2nd turn, a 2 on 3rd, 1 on 4th and spewed tears on 5th.  Sure, you can argue that the GM should of been on board to call down his Paladins, but how do you determine which squad he's attached to comes down in time?  Ideally, there would of been a building located somewhere towards the middle that blocked all LoS and I could of used Psychic Communion to call down his battle-brothers.  This is good strategy, but definitely not guaranteed that the battlefield will be setup this way (and it was not).
• It's not cool when the only units you have come down in piecemeal, giving your opponent the opportunity to saturate one unit at a time.  This results in a lot of dead heroes.
• The elite of the elite suffer from all kinds of bad rolls.  It doesn't matter if you're rolling to aim, wound or assault, if you roll subpar, you will suffer greatly next round because there's just not enough targets/bodies.
• Although the game ended in a draw, I can definitely say that Terminator lists suffer at objective-based missions where you simply don't have enough bodies at the end of the game.

Even though my Terminators didn't impress me, one thing's for damn sure:

The game changed when the Paladins hit the field, again.  Saturation of damage was neutralized by having 2W with FNP and my Paladins soaked up entire turns of damage while remaining intact.  Wound allocation played a big part because I wasn't afraid to allocate stray wounds onto my GM and Libby just to reduce wounds on the squad.  When the Paladins charged units, enemy units died.  When enemy units charged them, they fell like water on rock.  My shots remained true from MC Psycannons and enemy walkers and vehicles were smashed asunder by faithful Daemonhammers.

But enough about Terminators and Paladins, let's talk about PGK in general:

Rifleman Dreads with Psybolt Ammo help fill a huge gap in the PGK army, just like your faithful TLLC/ML Dreads from 3rd.  The reason is simple:  Between the ranges of 24" and 48", you have virtually nothing that can silence enemy guns.  That means Razorbacks, Defilers, Leman Russ or any kind of long range firepower can tear through your expensive models without fear or retaliation.  DSing into the enemy line with Terminators can be viable, but bad reserve rolls and scatters can play a huge factor in how you can execute the strategy.  With that said, I highly recommend Rifleman Dreads w/ Psybolts in most GK army lists.

PAGK will continue to be the workhorse of your army.  This can be either in the form of Purifiers made troops, Interceptors made scoring or standard GKSS.  If you have a unit of 10 guys, Psybolt Ammo is preferred.  If you don't, you don't need it at all.  Purifiers can go either aggressive with Incinerators, defensive with Psycannons or cheap mid-field with just Halberds and Psybolts.  Interceptors can be good at dealing damage and putting out wounds, but their cost is still prohibitive in where they'll go in most army lists.  Last but surely not least, GKSS will be the driving force of most GK lists imo.  10 dudes with 2 Psycannons in a Rhino with Psybolts and a Justicar with a MC DH costs 295 points.  Sure, they're definitely expensive compared to most troop choices in the game, but this unit is perfectly capable of tackling anything in the game.    This includes big MCs, AV14, GEQ, MEQ and everything else.

Keep in mind one thing though, and this is something that EVERY player should keep in mind everytime you play with/against Grey Knights.  No matter what, aside from the Paladins, PAGK and GKT are just regular Marines.  GKT play exactly the same as standard Terminators (the ones w/ fists and stormbolters) and therefore, they are subject to the same weakness.  The same applies to PAGK (Purifiers, Interceptors, GKSS) because underneath all that beautifully decorated silver armor is the same Marine you've been killing for ages.

With that in mind, here are the facts:

• A balanced list will always be better than a list focused on one thing.  This can be Purifier spam lists, Draigowings, Terminator heavy lists, it doesn't matter.  You want everything in your army to stay truly effective because it broadens the strengths of your army while scattering your weaknesses.  Imagine your army as a toolbox containing rock, paper and scissors.  It will be a hell of a lot more effective than a stack of paper vs. your opponent's scissor [unit].
• Including weapons of all different calibers:  Rifleman Dreads that can shoot out from 48" and touch things with TL S8, 24" threat from Psycannon with S7 Rending, and a plentiful amount of Storm Bolters that can force wounds and chew up hordes.
• Paladins is one of those units that will demand your opponent's respect.  Terminators will to a degree, but they don't really compare to 2W FNP models that can be outfitted and equipped to your heart's desire.  The only thing keeping these guys back from running the entire game is their points.  I think I'll run a unit of 5-10 in every list I make from here on after.  I have been impressed with their performance time and time again and I think these guys will single-handily change the way the game is played vs. Grey Knights, kinda like Orks and their Nob Bikers.  Can I kill Paladins?  Yes, then you've got yourself a competitive army.  If you can't, don't even bother competing.

More to come later...