Warhammer 40K: The Sanguinor’s New Groove
Wait, he does what now? Check out the Sanguinor’s new moves in the new Datasheet!
The Sanguinor is a legendary figure in the Blood Angels history. According to the Lexicanum:
“The Sanguinor is a mysterious figure that appears during the Blood Angels‘ greatest need. To many among the battle-brothers of the Chapter he is a myth, as few ever survive the battles that warrant his appearance, but members of the Blood Angels’ Reclusiam know otherwise, keeping detailed records of his manifestations throughout the millennia.”
While this mysterious figure arrives to help the embattled Blood Angels face their foe, his arrival is still a bit of a mystery. It is the psychic projection of Sanguinius? Is it the soul of the founder of the Sanguinary Guard who returns to fight? Is it just a manifestation of the Blood Angel’s Rage? The truth is murky at best. However, this makes for an interesting translation to the tabletop.
Kicking things off, at Power Level 9, The Sanguinor has quite the stat line. Base attacks with the Encarmine Broadsword coming at Strength 6, AP -4, and do 2 damage flat with a mortal wound kicker on 6s to wound. If you max out, that’s a potential 10 damage plus 5 mortal wounds. Not too shabby and that’s more than capable of killing 2 wound marines or going character hunting.
Now, when you start mixing in some of the other abilities, well, it’s more than just 5 attacks. Assuming the Assault Doctrine is active, you’re getting Savage Echoes (+1 Attack), Plus you’ve also got Aura of Fervour which doesn’t stack with Shock Assault but odds are one of those will apply. So yeah, we’re up to 7 attacks at this point.
Plus, you also get Angelic Visage which causes melee attacks that target him to get a -1 to hit. And he’s got a 2+/4++ save which will keep him in the fight. Anyhow, while the combat prowess of the Sanguinor is always welcome, what’s really impressive is his new rule – Miraculous Saviour:
So let me get this straight. Assuming he’s off table waiting for deployment, he gets to just “show-up” during the opponent’s turn, in combat, and counts as having performed a Heroic Intervention!? Uh…that’s awesome! Winged Saviour indeed.
Sure, you have to have been charged by the Enemy, but the fact that he just gets to *poof* on to the board and start in combat seems REALLY strong. There is no charge roll, no scatter, and basically no randomness to this ability. Now, you’re risking him getting taken out during combat, but those saves and 5 wounds you can gauge pretty well which enemy units he should pop-in against vs which ones he should avoid.
Overall, I’m really liking the changes that the Sanguinor recieved in the new codex supplement. This new version feels more like the lore version of a heroic vision that shows up and fights alongside the Blood Angels in there desperate fights. Now, he’s not going to single handedly win you the entire game – but having a character that can zoom into the combats where he’s most needed and help turn the tide seems pretty strong! He’s the ultimate “get out of jail” card, or character in this case. In a prolonged combat, his Aura of Fervour will make a huge difference, too. Seems like it’s time to add the Sanguinor to my Blood Angels lists for 9th edition.
I’m starting to see red on the tabletop…and gold.
