Warhammer 40K: The Most Important Units of 2021
With the year drawing to a close, it is time to look at 40K’s most important units that really impacted 2021.
2021 was yet another banner year for Warhammer 40,000. We saw a whole ton of new books (like, really a ton) come out, as well as new units and models. On top of all that, a global crisis continued to upset the tournament scene. Throughout 2021, there have been several units that really got people talking. Maybe it was because of how they dominated the meta, or maybe it was just their potential. As is now my tradition each year, here are the units that had the biggest impact on the game this year.
5. Krieg Guardsmen
This year saw the release of new plastic Krieg Guardsmen. For many fans, this was a huge deal and a lot of talk centered on them. Kreig is a massively popular subfaction that has until now only existed in Forge World models. Their move to mainline plastics was a massive god(Emperor)send for tons of people. It also raised a lot of hope for a new Astra Militarum Codex and the possibility of more new models. So far this hasn’t happened, but people are hyped. On the darker side the new Guardsmen has reignited the discussion about how useless low-quality troops like Guard are these days. It’s a combination of hopeful optimism for models and pessimism for rules that sums up current 40K.
4. Ork Buggies
The new wave of Ork buggies didn’t come out this year, but this was the year they got gud. A new codex and raft of rules pushed them into meta-defining territory and helped them dominate for a short span. But like the legendary Orkarus they flew too close to the sun and had their wings clipped. A hot FAQ limited the number of them you could take and pushed that army down from the bestest to just good (but Orks are still the strongest obviously). This unit represents a major trend towards -1D vehicle swarms and also quick FAQs.
3. The Archaeopter Stratoraptor
Another Meta defining unit, the Stratoraptor was part of the AdMech dominated Meta era. This was another unit that came out fairly recreantly but never really caught on. New buffs and a powerful codex propelled it to a top spot in the meta and made it feared all around. It also helped kick off a resurgence in the use of flyers other books copied. However it, like buggies, was too powerful for its own good. This flyer was so good that GW was forced to nerf all flyers bringing its dominance to an end. Like the buggies it’s emblematic of the brief blazing life span of some of 40K’s most important units.
2. The Cronos 
2021 has without a doubt been the year of the Drukhari. They have dominated the meta and conversation for much of the year and hold a terrifying win ratio. This is despite a number of nerfs. The Cronos is a terrifying unit as it was a strong contender in the Drukhari book when it first came out, bringing a lot of pain. After a first round of nerfs toned down things, the Cronos still hung on as a powerful unit. When Drukhari were slightly eclipsed by Orks and AdMech, the Cronos was one of the units Dark Eldar players turned to. Even a second round of nerfs couldn’t bring down the Cronos and it’s now a core part of the new Drukhari meta armies. This bad boy/thing has started in both older and new Drukhari lists and keeps on going.
1. Primaris Lieutenants
This is it. This is the game now.
Let Us Know What Units Had The Biggest Impact This Year, Down In The Comments!
