40k Interview: The Current State of Adeptus Custodes w/ Geoff Robinson
Today I bring you an interview with Geoff Robinson, who has been doing very well with Custodes in the 40K tournament scene.
I still remember when some people initially wrote them off as non-competitive lumping them in with their hate for Space Marines.
Meet Geoff
Geoff has proven Custodes are top tier winning with them time and time again following his own formula for success. Many people have jumped on his band wagon too which is typical with anything successful. I asked him some hard questions and Geoff was happy to respond… thus this interview is a thing.
Geoff is a very unique individual. He is blatantly honest and says what he truly thinks… he does not mince words. His insight is razor sharp and he backs up what he says with an astounding winning record. Geoff plays a diverse flavor of armies and has racked up an impressive track record over the course of his 40k career. He is best known for his success with Tyranids in previous editions but has recently made a move to Custodes with their inaugural release for 8th edition. His army list he brought to Adepticon is the current meta list for Custodes featuring a battalion for Custodes and a battalion of Astra Militarum plus some Assassins sprinkled in for good measure.
Based upon my research Geoff overhauled his Adepticon list for the London GT (LGT) going for a razor sharp edged Kill Shot list featuring only Shield Captains mounted on Dawneagles, Vertus Praetors and a Vexilla Praetor (-1 to hit banner) plus the seemingly necessary min max Astra Militarum Battalion to farm CPs. Geoff won the invitational at the LGT (London GT) which is a big deal since this event was a play in featuring many of the best players attending the event. It should be noted the LGT is costly for Americans to attend as flying across the pond is quite dear. There was some drama too but I have purposely decided to solely focus on the subject of Custodes.
Interview Time
So let’s get down to brass tack and get the proverbial ball rolling …
Q1. You have primarily been know as a Tyranid and Admech player in previous editions. What drew you to Custodes for this edition?
A1. I was initially drawn to Custodes for how amazing and gorgeous the models were. Like all my armies before I didn’t choose them because the rules were good / competitive.. in fact I decided before they even had rules in 40k. Once the codex started being teased I was really really happy my new obsession had awesome rules to go with it. Luckily for me, they weren’t Eldar level rules which is kinda my thing too. I like armies that need some good generalship to get taken the distance. Custodes do that for me!
Q2. What are the main differences betweem your Adepticon and LGT lists and what are the reasons you designed each list according to these specific non ITC formats?
A2. Adepticon allowed for me to play my ITC list. Granted the missions are different and I didn’t think it would matter that much but I kinda inadvertently made a list that competed well with what Adepticon was doing as well. Assassins score well, guard give Custodes the command points needed to be scary the entire game while also supplementing their weakness which is lack of bodies and the golden men get out there and do the heavy lifting. For LGT we couldn’t have duplicate detachments so I wanted to try out a huge number of bikes with less emphasis on command points and assassins. I think again I made a good list for the format but kinda inadvertently. Custodes are hard to kill and do a lot of it themselves which makes for a strong LGT list.
Q3. Overall which list do you think currently is overall better going into a general format such as the ETC versus ITC?
A3. I think moving forward you will see something closer to my LGT list. I really liked the list of the top general at the LGT open who took a similar list but had the 3 assassins. I’m finding you don’t need 3 shield captains but maybe even only 1 is fine? Running a Custodes battalion IS viable though. Tangle foot, +1 to wound on Spears and the general role of the Custodes basic infantry is surprisingly good! Are they as good as Vertus Praetors? No. However, that fact kinda protects them as your opponent will pour everything into the Praetors allowing you to score really well with the rest of the list.
Q4. Do you foresee the proverbial nerf bat taking a swing at things like running three shield-captains on Dawneagles and CP farming via Astra Militarum?
A4. Lots of people talk about this. I dunno? I’m obviously biased but I don’t think so. Rule of 3 is already pretty good and just because something is “good” doesn’t mean it needs to be nerfed, right? Is the game made worse with a CP factory or shield captains infused into lists? Not really. I wish people didn’t have the attitude that if we see something a lot it needs to go away. If they dominated and made the game bland sure… but are we there yet? I don’t think so.
Q5. Also if this were to happen (nerfhammer) what changes would you make to your current army list?
A5. I’d just have a Custodes battalion and probably still bring in guard for body support. It wouldn’t be the end of the world. Two battalions already get you 13 command points. That is a lot!
Q6. How do you see the current meta changing to adapt to the emergence of Custodes as a real contender?
A6. Well they pose an issue for a lot of lists at the design stage. If you make a pure gun line Custodes are gonna get you. You will need to have counter charge elements or perhaps access to mortal wounds. Tau will need to be savvy about their overwatch plans and bring markerlights. Custodes are good for the game in that they represent a strong melee element. Without them you truly are down to deepstrike and prayer.
Q7. Finally with Forge World releasing beta rules for units such as the grav tanks and Telemon dreadnaught how do you think this will affect army builds and could it be possible to play a pure list that is top tier? Please feel free to expound here.
A7. The beta rules for the FW Custodes units are mostly underwhelming from the top tier competitive perspective. The Telemon is very playable with it’s 4++ But the rest are point dense and lack the durability to justify them. The good news is the rules are just beta so maybe a few less points or options to make them more durable and we are cooking with golden fire. The models are amazing and we know there is a Talons of the Emperor book coming that will give them more new rules so I’m hopeful we can get a full range of stuff that is very fun and playable. Pure Custodes is possible and competitive but perhaps not top tier. Elite armies in 8th edition are an issue because dice happen. They don’t want mass 3++ or better so you will just have units fold. That is okay but if your army had mass bodies adding buffer or backing them up you can survive the bad dice (mostly) and hopefully out maneuver your opponent elsewhere. I think if Custodes ever became viable as a stand-alone army we’d be in trouble because that would mean they are SO defensive and SO powerful offensively we are just obliterating folks. They already kinda do/are.. more of that would be scary.
~So there you have it from Geoff, he will answer any questions you have or respond to your comments – keep it classy.
