40K TACTICS: Blood Angels – Troops
Troops are some of the most important units in any army, so how does Codex: Blood Angels compare?
Mr. Black here to once again continue our look at Codex: Blood Angels. The book is in the hands of the mass populous now so anyone and everyone can test out the latest edition of the Sons of Sanguinius, but let’s take a look at each individual unit and run through some thoughts and tactica.
Death Company
Gone are the days of free Death Company, and now you can have a force that doesn’t even require a handful of them. Given the trend of newer codices vs. old ones, this didn’t surprise me, but I still hate to see a good example of army fluff removed, even if, in the end, it’s probably a better route.
By and by the Death Company remain largely unchanged from their previous incarnation, gaining a slightly higher WS, Relentless, and a new Black Rage. Overall not a huge amount of changes, but one major thing they did receive is access to wargear, and that makes all the difference.
In the previous edition, they where an alright unit, and being that you where paying for them anyway, there wasn’t much to complain about. This edition they really do come storming out as one of the scarier assault units in the entire game. As I mentioned before, they now have access to wargear of all varieties, from Power Swords to Hand Flamers to Thunder Hammers, you can tool up a squad most anyway you wish.
But all these nice shiny bells and whistles will fall short unless the actual unit can preform well, so how does it measure up?
Well, by themselves, I’d find the Death Company to be alright, but seeing as how they can’t score and a regular Assault Squad with a Sanguinary Priest can preform roughly as well, the initial impression is unfortunately disappointing. One thing to note though is that, given the built in Feel No Pain, you can afford to take the same logic as Plague Marines in that you don’t need a full ten man (yes I know they can go to thirty) and can remain around the seven to eight man range and still be just as effective. Overall though, I look at the Death Company and see the Assault Squad with Sanguinary Priest as the better choice… That is, until I figure in a Chaplain.
Damn, that unit is now much more intimidating. Re-rolling both misses and wounds will mean that almost nothing in the game will survive a Death Company assault, be it Monstrous Creatures to Khorne Berzerkers. But still you must ask, is it worth it? Well a seven man squad, two power weapons, with Chaplain in a Rhino comes out to 320 pts, which, while a bit high for marines, to me is a bargain given the pain this unit can dish out.
Final Thoughts: Astorath allows for an entire army of Death Company, and I intend to take full advantage of this. I know people will say an Assault Squad kitted out is a better choice overall, but for me the addition of a Chaplain really makes this unit something grand. I love the fluff and the sheer number of options available to the unit and absolutely adore the new models. I doubt they will be as common as some other choices, but there is a certain style about them I can’t ignore.
Lemartes, Guardian of the Lost
There is a lot to be said about Lemartes and what he brings to the Death Company. The most notable of which is that, while he carries all the benefits of a Chaplain, he is not an IC, meaning he cannot be picked out of the unit. This alone almost makes him worth the extra fifty points over a normal Chaplain. Now figure in that upon wounding him he becomes S: 5 and A:5 (making him seven total on the charge) and we seem to have quite the deal. So what is the drawback to Lemartes?
He has a Jump Pack.
I didn’t cover it above because I could better discuss it here, but I do not like Jump Packs on Death Company. The reason is purely one of a points cost issue, being that the Jump Packs cost five points less than an additional Death Company, and that price is simply to high for me to weigh against the benefits that Jump Infantry bring. My logic in this is that, while the Jump Packs do grant extra mobility, for just over the cost of three of them you can buy a fast Rhino, capable of delivering the Death Company nearly anywhere they need to for a next turn assault and granting them a means of defense against incoming fire. The same can be said of any Jump Pack vs Vehicle comparisons (at least in regards to our line of Fast vehicles), and each do offer their own tactical prowess, but the overall cost of the Death Company packs really tilts it in favor of the Rhino in this case.
That being said, how do we take advantage of Lemartes without the need for costly Jump Packs? A Stormraven. Yep, packing Lemartes and a handful of Death Company into one of these flying Land Raiders overrides (what I would call anyway) the drawback of this otherwise great character. Not the greatest option to be sure, as the ‘raven tops out over 200 pts, but it’s either that, or double the cost of the unit he is with and, as I mentioned above, I’ll take the extra protection (and firepower) granted by the Stormraven.
Final Comments: In the end, I believe Lemartes would best be run in a small unit of Death Company, probably capping at five. Your goal is to wound him at least once (not easy given the wealth of possible saves he has) and from there… Well he can pretty much handle anything. S: 6 on the charge, a monstrous seven Power Weapon attacks on the charge, usually hitting on threes, and re-rolling the ones that don’t. Few things will ever survive that onslaught, and noting that, any extra attacks the other members of the Death Company provide verge on overkill. I’m on the fence with Lemartes, I believe he has good potential, the trick is just finding a way to use that potential to it’s fullest.
Death Company Dreadnought
This is what a Chaos Dreadnought wishes it was. Let’s break this guy down piece by piece.
A. WS: 5, usually hitting on threes with option to take Blood Talon, meaning you will usually wound on twos with a re-roll (remember, they function like Lightning Claws), then generate extra attacks off of those.
B. Furious Charge, to give him higher initiative than marines (not like that usually matters), and the slight push to Strength to help him punch through vehicles. Adding Fleet here as well to show this guy as also as fast as he is tough.
C. None Can Stay My Wrath, hey look, I have Daemonic Possession… And I’m scarier than hell, as I will never stop until you or I are dead.
Now, he does have a small limitation, and that is Rage, but given that he has the means (via built-in weapons or sheer “I’m a Dreadnought” prowess) to kill most anything he comes across, you can weight yourself how much of a limitation that is. It will happen though, that a smart opponent will bait him away from a prime target in favor of a lesser one, but this still requires the opponent sacrificing (or putting into danger) a unit to achieve this.
All in all, the Dead Company Dreadnought still remains one of my favorite options in the book, and the ability to have up to five of them (and in turn a completely non-scoring army) is a tempting idea. Of course who would be silly enough to field an eleven dreadnought army in 2000 pts? Yes, indeed… That would simply be ridiculous…
Final Comments: If you’ve played with Dreadnoughts before, you pretty much know how this guy will run for the most part, the critical change really comes from the Fleet, None Can Stay My Wrath, ability to take Blood Talons, and a high number of attacks. As I listed above, those factors combined can mean he can wipe an entire squad out before they even get the chance to Power Fist him, and taking into consideration that his points total is already barely in the triple-digits, you have a unit that will seldom fail to make it’s points back. I’m a big fan of “bang for your buck”, and the Dead Company Dreadnought delivers that in spades.
Scout Squad
Scouts are a hard unit for me to write about, as I have personally never fielded any, though I have played many, many games against them, ranging from a few units to an entire army.
Blood Angel Scouts function basically the same as most any Scout Squad you have seen before: They have Missile Launchers, Heavy Bolters, Sniper Rifles, the whole standard load-out. If you really wish, you can play them as you may have in other Marine codices, and there would be nothing wrong with that. They are a cheap, dangerous, and most importantly scoring unit, and having a unit to sit back and camp an important objective in Capture and or Seize Ground is a valid use that I’m sure many of the player-base has seen and probably used.
The difference here though, is that our Scouts have The Red Thirst. Combine that with the effects of Astorath the Grim and you have an army of mini Khorne Berzerker. Now I know usually Scouts would be resigned to the sniper role in the back of the fields, but we’re talking Blood Angels here! Give them a Combat Blade and a Power Fist and CHARGE CHARGE CHARGE! Coming off the board edge via Outflank you’re pressing twenty-seven S:5 I:5 attacks and three S:9 Power Fists into anything unfortunate enough to be in their way. I don’t care what you are that is going to hurt, especially if you didn’t expect it. Now imagine Astorath the Grim leading an entire 1oth Company Scout Legion and the ensuing chaos that will hit the enemy flanks.
Now, it’s important to mention Scouts also have Locator Beacons, which given the Blood Angels tendency of Deep Striking add a new level of utility to the army. Infiltrate those Scouts right up there and drop a Land Raider Redeemer or a unit of Vanguard right into the opponent’s face and fill them with your choice of holy fire or assaulting veterans, but I could easily get into a rant of things that benefit from Locator Beacons in the army, and I’m sure people are more than capable of finding what works and doesn’t on their own.
Final Comments: In the end, Blood Angel Scout Squads will still function just like their normal marine counterparts, but here we at least have the added benefit of being viable in close combat, to the point where the concept of an outflanking, tooled-up, mini-zerker unit for a mere 165 points seems like a pretty good buy to me. I need to get more games with Scouts under my belt to really see if the melee route is viable, but I’d have a hard time imagining they wouldn’t at the very least pose an threat the opponent can’t ignore.
Assault Squads and Tactical Squads
This section is a pain for me to write, as I have honestly spent the last few sections trying to think of a way to word this as to not come across as merely bashing and ranting… I have not thought of a way. That being said, I will out and say this, arguments and other opinions be damned:
There is no reason to ever take a Tactical Squad in Codex: Blood Angels.
Some people I’m sure will argue, and I myself hate declaring something in a codex dead-weight (comparing Tactical Squads to Pyrovores just doesn’t sit right with me…), but everything a Tactical Squad does an Assault Squad can do better. More attacks, cheaper transports, and the ability to take two Special Weapons instead of a Special and a Heavy, all those just overshadow the Tactical Squad to such a degree I can’t justify myself taking them unless I just, for some reason, love Tactical Squads.
People will argue, people will say how wrong I am, but my mind is made up on this one. Just to show an example, a decked-up Assault Squad in a Rhino, duel Meltaguns and Power Fist, is 250 pts. The Tactical Squad equivalent, Melta and Multi-Melta with Power Fist, is 260. For ten points fewer, I get more attacks and the ability to use my weapons while I move; and that is just one example.
That being said, let’s now talk about the poster-boy of the codex: the Assault Squad.
With the ability to be kitted out for almost any purpose, and having the speed to get around the board as they please the Assault Squad is one of the most versatile units in the game. Now there are two methods to go about the Assault Squad, the first being to keep their Jump Packs, thus keeping true to the standard Assault Marine template we’ve had, well, forever. The main difference here is the advent of a wider Special Weapon list, thus allowing the unit to really tool itself to specific purposes or keep a wide array of power to deal with all comers.
My personal favorite set-up I’ve had has been a ten man squad with Meltagun, Flamer, Infernus Pistol, and either a Power Sword or Power Fist, usually opting for the later. This build comes to roughly some 250 pts but has the ability to deal with most anything as well as Combat Squad down if I the scenario needs each have to deal specific with a threatt.
The second method of running them is to ditch their Jump Packs in favor of some armored transportation. This strategy alone can lead to some nasty scenarios.
The most basic of these options is a Rhino, a Rhino that mind you that costs only as much as a Power Sword and is a fast vehicle. You still retain the speed the Jump Pack marines, but at the cost of their assaulting power. The next option would be a Razorback, and as seen already, this will be one of the most popular choices presented. The most basic way to look at this is in exchange for the Jump packs you receive any turret-weapon of your choice, not a bad trade-off. You can take this route if you want to take the heavy firepower while still retaining the melee capabilities of the Assault Squad… Though personally I see this as too close to playing an IG Gunline, and simply going against every incline I have as a mass assaulting Blood Angels player.
The next option would be the standard Drop Pod. Now, before I get into this, I will say I am in the camp of Descent of Angels not working for the vehicle the squad enters. This is simply the way I read it, mainly in part to it being a stretch of the rules for me to have the ability impart to the transport, not to mention the fluff description of the ability, though that in no way impacts my views of how the rules work.
Anyway, Drop Pod, this option stands if you want an up-in-your-face Drop Pod Assault army (complete with six Assault Squads and three Furioso Dreadnought) or simply one unit arriving first turn to hassle the opponent while the primary force moves up.
The last option, and perhaps one of the most powerful, is to take an army of six Land Raiders. Coming out at around 350 a piece with conservative upgrades it’s not unfeasible to field five to six of the signature Space Marine vehicles, all carrying scoring units. I would go into this more, but follow any Deathwing tactica and I’m sure you can get a more in depth discussion… That, and it’s six Land Raiders, I don’t think I need to say much more…
Final Comments: And there we have the basic Assault Squad and the (sadly) sub-par Tactical Squad. Not much more to say here: Assault Squads are the iconic unit of the book and should be played as such.
~This is 5th Edition, this is the edition of Troops, no other Force Org slot is more vital to the overall game play. Troops may not be the most powerful, may not be the most flashy, but the are the core of any strike force and, in the end, will be the deciding factor in what makes an effective army. Does Codex: Blood Angels stack up to it’s fore bearers? Given some of the most powerful and varied Marine choices we’ve seen thus far, along with a wealth of synergistic units to back them up, it’s hard to say that this book is lacking. What are your personal favorite choices in the codex, and how do you plan on running them? -Mr. Black
