40K Armies: The Also Rans of June 2010
Hi all, Jwolf here. Last time we covered the top half of the 40K army heap; this week we’ll sort through the rubbish.
It is worth saying that, with the exception of the last two, none of these are really bad Codices that you can’t play and win just as much as you could one of the “better” Codices from the first half of the list – but you will have to play a better game to do so.
Daemon Hunters – Daemon Hunters invalidate Fateweaver with Psycannons and make Deep Strike extremely hazardous with their Mystics. The problem is almost everything else they can do is done better as allies to Imperial Guard, Space Marines, or Witch Hunters. If you’re going to go with all Daemonhunters, their Force Weapons are worth a spin, as they don’t inflict instant death, but instead remove models from play – handy for killing those Daemon Princes and Mephistons that seem to be everywhere.
I am personally really hoping that the new Inquisitorial Codex will either get rid of the Shrouding or make it actually do something, and the Grey Knights will see some point cost or statline rebalancing, as they are great models but not worth their points cost.
Orks – Orks used to be able to charge out of their Trukks and Battle Wagons and decimate almost any opponent. Now Orks have to cower and hope that the mean old Space Wolves and Blood Angels don’t get to punch them to death. Thunderwolf Cavalry are just plain better than Nob Bikers in a face-to-face slugging match, and fast Blood Angels vehicles mean that those Battlewagons aren’t getting AV14 for more than a turn against the Blood Angels. And it’s not even fair what Blood Talons do to Boyz…
Dark Eldar – Dark Eldar have great ability to kill, but poor survivability. Cheap Missile Launcher Long Fangs make a mockery of Raiders and Ravagers with Night Shields, Counter Assault means that too many Space Wolf attacks will be coming back, and Blood Angels have the mobility and firepower to pummel Dark Eldar. Couple that with Tyranids improved selection of truly Monstrous Creatures and the Imperial Guard’s continuing ability to produce more targets than the Dark Eldar can kill, and we see how a very strong army slips in the tournament rankings – the “bad draws” for a Dark Eldar player make up most of the field for a lot of tournaments.
Tau – Tau have improved a bit in the rankings as more players go fully mechanized. Tau still have nothing that can take an objective from any competent opponent with close combat ability (except for last turn tank grabs, and no, Kroot don’t count until Flamers are outlawed), and are vaporized by almost any player who knows how to minimize the efficiencies of a Tau army (kill the Pathfinders and get in close to the tanks, not exactly rocket science). Tau aren’t that popular here because a lot of the same tricks that make an IG Alpha Strike less effective reduce the effectiveness of Tau, and Tau have less ability to absorb body punches. That doesn’t mean that multiple small unit Tau tactics are not possible winning strategies in objective games, but it does mean that Tau against the most common armies makes for an uphill struggle for the Tau.
Black Templars – Black Templars are now more limited and less effective versions of the superior Blood Angels. Being Fearless in Close Combat isn’t enough of an advantage to overcome being dead in close combat, thanks to Blood Talons. Of the Ancient Marines, Black Templars are the best, but Codex Marines and newer armies are simply more effective and capable.
Chaos Daemons – Chaos Daemons had a good run while people were learning how to play against them, but with few exceptions, they now get beaten pretty handily by even slightly experienced players. Yes, there are those exceptional players who do very well with Daemons, but overall Daemons just don’t have the right combinations of units to be capable in the hands of the average to above average tournament player.
Dark Angels – For the love of the Emperor, just play your Dark Angels as Green Marines. Nothing in the Dark Angel Codex is better than the same thing in Codex Space Marines, and in a lot of cases you pay more for less. If you’re playing Dark Angels, you have to be doing it for the fluff, and the Codex is substantially weaker than any of the newer Marine books.
Necrons – Gauss weaponry is not an effective way to stop an IG Chimera line, and the Fifth Edition Assault rules mean that whole squads of Necrons will disappear when charged by almost any conceivable enemy force. Every army with poor assault ability and no squad upgrade weapons is badly hampered; Necrons earn the trifecta for being expensive and having the Phase Out! Rule. Congratulations for being the worst army two years running, Necrons! It’s a shame, because Necrons are easy to paint and look cool on the table, making them an ideal starting army (if they weren’t such punching bags).
And that closes out the Army Rankings for 40k, as of June 2010. Let them moaning and gnashing of teeth begin!
