Warhammer 40K: The 5 Best New Space Marine Units
Let’s talk about the new Space Marine units and which are the best.
We’ve got the rules, the datasheets, the FAQs and the points. Now it time to really take a look at all the hot new Space Marines units about to explode onto the tabletops in a few weeks. With 9 units coming in the Indomitus box some are bound to be better than others. Today lets dig into which ones are the best and how you can use them in your Marine army. (Note: We are only going to look at units we have the full rules for today).
5. Assault Intercessors 
I’m putting Assault Intercessors on here, but they are just barely making the cut right now. While the idea of an assault units that is troops is pretty nice, I just find them a bit lacking. While a point more than basic Reivers, I think I’d take the Assault Intercessors over them any day. They hold up better than foot slogging Assault Marines do of course. The big issue I have with them is that they don’t offer a lot over regular Intercessors. An extra attack and AP in combat, and a point of saving, doesn’t really feel like a great trade off for losing a really good gun. On top of that they don’t really have that much better damage output, since regular Intercessors can get the same number of attacks with the Veteran Intercessor stratagem and their sergeants have access to much better weapons. They mainly make the list here because I’m hoping that in a full release they will get better Sergeant options, which would push them to be a pretty decent and cheap assault unit. In particular I think they can find a nice home with Blood Angels and White Scars.
4. Blade Guard Veterans
Bladeguard Veterans are another one I think are just about riding the line of being really good. At 35 points they aren’t too costly. Indeed they end up being a fair bit cheaper than an Assault Terminator, which is their closest existing counterpart, while having more attacks and wounds. They are a decently tanky unit but have very limited ranged options. It feels like they just a little under-powered in assault damage output. S5 is nice but its not crazy good either. They also, like all Primaris, suffer from not having amazing ways of getting to combat quickly. The biggest thing holding them back though is their small, 3 model, size. It not only holds back the overall potential of the unit but makes it harder to justify throwing some stratagems on them. I think if you could take even just a 5 man squad they’d be a lot better. I think they still have some good potential with assault based Marine armies, Blood Angels +1 to wound would help make up for their S5 attacks, but they will still lack speed.
3. Outrider Squad
Did someone mention speed? Well if you want that we’ve got the new Outriders, which I am really liking. At 45 points they are a bit pricey, but pack a nice punch. They are fast and tough, with T5 and 4 wounds. It is going to take some serious attention to wipe a squad out. While they are a little more than twice the cost of a two Intercessors they are about twice as tough, have twice the firepower and get speed and combat ability, so it seems a pretty fair trade. On the charge these bad boys get 6 attacks each, 7 for the sergeant, and that’s nothing to sneer at. While low strength and AP means they won’t plow through tanks or heavy target, they are great for chewing through chaff. On your turn you can get 4 shots and 6 attacks out of the model. These guys are going to be great for fast assault armies. Again the big draw backs here are small unit size and lack of sergeant options. If a full codex release sees those things change, I think you could see these guys jump to a top tier unit.
2. Judiciar
If you like tricks the Judiciar is the guy you want to have on your side. In combat he’s one of the better Primaris charterers and can deal out some hurt. However his real use comes with the Tempormortis ability, which makes an enemy unit fight last. This is a super powerful ability as it lets you control the flow of fights and quite possible kill enemy units before they can attack. Now, I don’t actually think this is great for an assault heavy army. Not only is the Judiciar a foot slogger, but his ability has a short enough range that he’d have to be making charges to get into combat also. On top of that… if you are charging in you already get to hit first, so its not that great. Where it comes in really useful is backing up your ranged castle. Primaris in general are OK in combat. With one of these dudes skulking around just behind your front line you can ensure that even if the enemy does get to you and gets a charge off, you’ll still get to him them first. This could really help gunlines out. At 85 points he’s not too expensive to throw in. You could always take multiple and make charging your gunline really risky.
1. Eradicators
Alright here we are. If there is a really hot unit among the new Marines it is without a doubt the Eradicators. This small tough unit packs a major punch, with each model getting two melta shots at up to 24″ range. That’s a really solid unit, but what really makes them shine is their point cost. At 40 points a model these guys are super cheap for what they do. In fact a classic Marine Devastator with a Multimelta will run you 35 points. So for a mere 5 extra points you get 2 more wounds, an extra attack, an extra toughness, an assault instead of a heavy weapon, and oh yeah, twice as many shots. That’s got to be the best deal in 40K. While their small size is a downer they are cheap enough that you can easily field 3 squads without breaking the bank. Now even 6 melta shots in modern 40K isn’t the most amazing thing, and it’s not going to be one-shoting knights, but it is good. Indeed it’s good enough that the enemy can’t just ignore them and they are just tough enough to make killing 3 units a real chore. With Centurions going up in points I’m thinking we will be seeing these guys start to take their place. If full release lets them go up to 6 models, like all other Gravis units can, they would really be over the top. 
Let us know which of the new units you like best, down in the comments!
