40K EDITORIAL: Countering the “ThunderCharge”
Hi everybody.
We’ve been throwing ourselves into a lot of test games over the last month and really putting the Space wolves Codex though its paces. While it is not the be-all-end-all force out there, its got some nasty sharp elbows it can throw around (there will be a video battle report coming to illustrate this).
In particular I want to throw out a tacical challenge to the community. Consider this grouping of units:
Wolf Lord:Thunderwolf Mount
Thunderhammer
Stormshield
Runic Armor
Saga of the Warrior Born
Thunderwolf Cavalry:(x5)
Powerfist(x1)
Mark of the Wulfen (x1)
Fenrisian Wolves (x15)
Points: @700
Basic Combat Doctine: Lord joins the Thunderwolf Cav, and hurtles headlong into the foe, screened by a cordon of Fenrisian Wolves (giving the Cav a 4+ cover save).
This unit should reach the enemy by turn 2, and start chewing away. The surviving Fenrissian Wolves will break off and hit a nearby secondary target while the Cav hits the main target and butchers it.
Lets take alook at the cav unit: T:5 and 2 wounds each. Will usually have a 4+ cover save in addition to their 3+ armor save on their inbound turn. Five S:5 rending attacks apiece on the charge.
The Lord however is the real trouble: T:5, A:6 his first turn, then usually 9-11+ on subsequent turns (the Saga), hitting at WS:6, S:10, and protected by a 2+/3+i save.
In our test games, this combination is a horrible shock force. It’s pricy, but is not easily turned aside in time by most foes, and once it reaches your lines, can easily kill twice its points (mainly the Wolf Lord). It is a large enough force to absolutely require a response, but will often gum up an enemy so badly that they are easy prey for the remaining 1000+ points of support elements of the Space Wolf army that will be moving to support the charge with either psykers, fire elements, or further mechanized assault forces.
~I would like to hear the community offer responses to this threat from a variety of 40k armies. The threat is before you my fellow generals, counter it. The floor is yours.
