Warhammer 40K: This Week’s Meta Hotness – Relic Contemptor Dreadnoughts
Let’s take a look at a unit that is showing up as one of Warhammer 40K’s top units, Relic Contemptor Dreadnoughts.
In the ever-shifting meta of 40K, armies rise and fall. We’ve spent a lot of time talking about armies that are hot or not, but a lot less time looking at units that are running the show. Today let’s start by taking a look at one of the hottest units currently running around the tabletop.
The Unit
This week’s hot unit is the Relic Contemptor Dreadnought. This Forge World unit is is an upgraded version of the basic Contemptor Dreadnought found in Codex Space Marines. It’s a heavy fire support unit with a variety of weapons options. While it can be built for close combat, as a holdover from the Horus Heresy it has access to a number of exotic ranged weapon options not found on other units in the Marine list.
Why They Are Good
Like all Marine Dreadnoughts the Contemptor got a huge boost in the 9th Edition book. These guys are a tough, mobile vehicle, that can throw out a good amount of firepower. With T7, 9 Wounds, -1 damage to attacks and 3+/5++ they are a tough nut to crack and harder to kill than most other vehicles in the game. With a relatively small footprint they are great for pushing forward, and you can fit a lot in Auras. Speaking of Auras as they are Core the Relic Contemptor gets access to a ton of Marine buffs. The inclusion of a Techmarine can not only boost their shooting, but keep them repaired and in the fight longer.
While the Relic Contemptor has access to a lot of weapon options, the hot way to run them right now is with a pair of twin Volkite Culverins. Combined this gives the model 16 high S, D 2 attacks. With a 45″ range and move 8, they can pretty much hit anything on the table. 16 shots mean the model is good at plowing through large numbers of weak infantry with ease. However it also doubles at being useful against other important targets. D2 means it’s a viable anti- Marine gun, and while its low AP holds it back, the Marine book has a few ways of buffing that.
With the large number of shots you get, and some free mortal wounds, it can still put the hurt on a Marine unit. It’s also a pretty good gun, due to volume of fire and D, for taking down Drukhari Raiders, one of the scourges of the Meta right now. Unlike other anti-tank guns, it can then switch to killing the passengers with ease. Overall the gun is a very good jack of all trades weapon, mounted on a tough and affordable unit, making it a great pick.
A Sample List
Saying a unit is hot is all well and good, but let’s take a look at how players are using it. Contemptor Dreadnoughts have started showing up in a number of lists that have really dominated at recent tournaments. No less than 3 lists that hit top 4s in the past week contained two of them. One list that highlights them is the list that Colin Sherman ran to win the Weekend At Horus’ GT. (via 40kstats.com)
++ Battalion Detachment 0CP (Imperium – Adeptus Astartes – Ultramarines) [102 PL, 2,000pts, 7CP] ++
**Chapter Selection**: Master Artisans, Ultramarines Successor, Whirlwind of Rage
Servitors [2 PL, 30pts]: 4x Servo-arm
+ HQ +
Chapter Master with Master-crafted Heavy Bolt Rifle [8 PL, 145pts, -1CP]: Adept of the Codex, Chapter Command: Chapter Master, Seal of Oath, Storm of Fire, Stratagem: Exemplar of the Chapter, Warlord
Primaris Librarian [6 PL, 120pts, -1CP]: 2) Might of Heroes, 3) Null Zone (Aura), 6) Psychic Fortress (Aura), Chapter Command: Chief Librarian, Psychic Mastery, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter
Primaris Techmarine [5 PL, 100pts, -1CP]: Chapter Command: Master of the Forge, Rites of War, Stratagem: Hero of the Chapter
+ Troops +
Incursor Squad [5 PL, 105pts]
. 4x Incursor: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades, 4x Occulus bolt carbine, 4x Paired combat blades
. Incursor Sergeant
Intercessor Squad [5 PL, 100pts]: Auto Bolt Rifle
. 4x Intercessor: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades
. Intercessor Sergeant
Intercessor Squad [5 PL, 100pts]: Auto Bolt Rifle
. 4x Intercessor: 4x Bolt pistol, 4x Frag & Krak grenades
. Intercessor Sergeant
+ Elites +
Invictor Tactical Warsuit [8 PL, 160pts]: Twin ironhail autocannon
Invictor Tactical Warsuit [8 PL, 160pts]: Twin ironhail autocannon
Redemptor Dreadnought [9 PL, 185pts]: 2x Storm Bolters, Icarus Rocket Pod, Macro Plasma Incinerator, Onslaught Gatling Cannon
Redemptor Dreadnought [9 PL, 185pts]: 2x Storm Bolters, Icarus Rocket Pod, Macro Plasma Incinerator, Onslaught Gatling Cannon
Relic Contemptor Dreadnought [8 PL, 150pts, -1CP]: 2x Twin volkite culverin
Relic Contemptor Dreadnought [8 PL, 150pts, -1CP]: 2x Twin volkite culverin
+ Fast Attack +
Suppressor Squad [5 PL, 100pts]
. 2x Suppressor: 2x Accelerator autocannon, 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Frag & Krak grenades
. Suppressor Sergeant
Suppressor Squad [5 PL, 100pts]
. 2x Suppressor: 2x Accelerator autocannon, 2x Bolt pistol, 2x Frag & Krak grenades
. Suppressor Sergeant
+ Dedicated Transport +
Land Speeder Storm [3 PL, 55pts]
Land Speeder Storm [3 PL, 55pts]
++ Total: [102 PL, 7CP, 2,000pts] ++
Using the Unit
This list makes use of two Relic Contemptor Dreads, each armed with a pair of twin Volkite Culverins. These guys are tough and put out a lot of firepower between them. Paired with the Invictors and Redemptors they make for a massive block of hard to kill, high damage output walkers. The list, Contemptprs included, really goes all-in on mid-high S, D2 attacks. This makes it a very good at taking down some of the current meta threats like Marines and Dark Eldar (Raiders won’t have a ton of fun here), but could leave it a little more vulnerable to really heavy tanks. Storm of Fire on the Captain can help buff AP on the Contemptors, while Rites of War on the supporting Techmarine makes them Obsec. This allows them to help push lighter enemy units off objectives and hold them. Overall it makes a lot of use of the Contemptor’s high rate of fire to build a scary list in the current meta.
Let us know what units you think are hot right now, down in the comments!
