Goatboy’s Warhamer 40K Meta Hotness: Callidus Assassin
It’s a good time to be an Imperial player. The Callidus Assassin is this week’s 40K Meta Hotness. Let’s dive into why they’re so hawt right now.
The Callidus Assassin didn’t get a points hike in the Balance Dataslate – and is pretty dang good. It’s one of the easiest models to slot into an Imperium “Good” People list. Heck – if you are playing an Imperial Army there is probably no reason to not shove one of these sneaky shape-shifting assassins into your list and marvel at how awesome their braided top knot is.
So why take one of these game disruptors? Well obviously because you can mess with the plans of your enemy. It also is very good at being a pain in the butt to remove – but enough talking why let’s dig into each of its abilities.
Callidus Assassin is Well Costed!
Holy heck is this Assassin cheap. The worry for the points update was this model was going to go up in points. Thankfully it stay at 90 points and is super easy to fit into just about anything. Did you need that extra Hero in your list? Did you need that other kind of bad battleline unit? Kick those guys to the curb, go find an assassin, and let them do their dirty work.
Callidus Awesome Abilities
This model has two abilities that really help make it work. The first one Reign of Confusion lets you do a one time – make the opponents specific Stratagem cost more. Now I know a lot of Stratagems got a bit of a nerf with the free options going away but having the ability to amp up the cost on a specific strat by one can win you the game. Oh is that soul crushing rule happening every turn? Well now it might happen every other turn which leaves you ready to pounce when they are weak. On top of that Polymorphine rule they also have the ability to disappear and then get redeployed the next turn to cause more havoc. It is great to have a model that can just redeploy as needed and allow you to score an objective.
Lots of Keywords!
So many Keywords on this unit it is just great. They can Deep Strike. They have Lone Operative. They can Infiltrate too. Oh they also fight first. That is a ton of rules that just means this model will show up where they want to and screw you for trying to get ride of them. It is a wave of awesome in a model doing a nice land on a super sweet rock and trying to rock some kind of super hero pose at the end of their trail of destruction.
Not Terrible Callidus Assassin Weapons!
Hey this model has an Anti 2+ infantry gun that is precision and a decent sword too. They are not going to come in and wreck someone powerful. But they can easily show up, gut a support character, and then laugh as they wreck your opponent’s backfield plans. They were designed to hit squishy targets easily and their ranged/melee options do just that.
A Sample Tournament List
Here is an Example Space Marine list that won the Fields of Damnation Event (Awesome name by the way) in Saskatoon, SK, Canada. This list was piloted by Morgan Smerek and it looks like an excellent MSU go wide Marine list. Having a powerful Lone Operative is a big help for this list as you can easily set up a lot of trades with different units and really just have options to solve almost everything.
Space Marines
Ultramarines
Strike Force (2000 points)
Gladius Task Force
CHARACTER
Apothecary Biologis (80 points)
• 1x Absolvor bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
• Enhancement: Bolter Discipline
Marneus Calgar (185 points)
• 1x Marneus Calgar
• Warlord
• 1x Gauntlets of Ultramar
• 2x Victrix Honour Guard
• 2x Victrix power swordPrimaris Chaplain (75 points)
• 1x Absolvor bolt pistol
1x Crozius arcanum
• Enhancement: Artificer Armour
Uriel Ventris (75 points)
• 1x Bolt Pistol
1x Invictus
1x Sword of Idaeus
BATTLELINE
Assault Intercessor Squad (160 points)
• 1x Assault Intercessor Sergeant
• 1x Heavy bolt pistol
1x Power fist
• 9x Assault Intercessor
• 9x Astartes chainsword
9x Heavy bolt pistol
Heavy Intercessor Squad (105 points)
• 1x Heavy Intercessor Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
1x Heavy bolt rifle
• 4x Heavy Intercessor
• 4x Bolt pistol
4x Close combat weapon
3x Heavy bolt rifle
1x Heavy bolter
Intercessor Squad (85 points)
• 1x Intercessor Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Power weapon
1x Thunder hammer
• 4x Intercessor
• 1x Astartes grenade launcher
4x Bolt pistol
4x Bolt rifle
4x Close combat weapon
OTHER DATASHEETS
Aggressor Squad (200 points)
• 1x Aggressor Sergeant
• 1x Auto boltstorm gauntlets
1x Fragstorm grenade launcher
1x Power fist
• 5x Aggressor
• 5x Auto boltstorm gauntlets
5x Fragstorm grenade launcher
5x Power fist
Bladeguard Veteran Squad (180 points)
• 1x Bladeguard Veteran Sergeant
• 1x Master-crafted power weapon
1x Neo-volkite pistol
• 5x Bladeguard Veteran
• 5x Heavy bolt pistol
5x Master-crafted power weapon
Eliminator Squad (75 points)
• 1x Eliminator Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Close combat weapon
1x Instigator bolt carbine
• 2x Eliminator
• 2x Bolt pistol
2x Close combat weapon
2x Las fusil
Inceptor Squad (115 points)
• 1x Inceptor Sergeant
• 1x Close combat weapon
1x Plasma exterminators
• 2x Inceptor
• 2x Close combat weapon
2x Plasma exterminators
Incursor Squad (85 points)
• 1x Incursor Sergeant
• 1x Bolt pistol
1x Occulus bolt carbine
1x Paired combat blades
• 4x Incursor
• 4x Bolt pistol
1x Haywire Mine
4x Occulus bolt carbine
4x Paired combat blades
Land Raider (240 points)
• 1x Armoured tracks
2x Godhammer lascannon
1x Hunter-killer missile
1x Multi-melta
1x Storm bolter
1x Twin heavy bolter
Redemptor Dreadnought (210 points)
• 1x Heavy onslaught gatling cannon
1x Onslaught gatling cannon
1x Redemptor fist
1x Twin storm bolter
ALLIED UNITS
Callidus Assassin (90 points)
• 1x Neural shredder
1x Phase sword and poison blades
Inquisitorial Henchmen (40 points)
• 4x Inquisitorial Acolyte
• 4x Acolyte firearm
4x Acolyte melee weapon
2000 points
Using the List
The Callidus Assassin is a great addition to any of these so called “Good Guy” armies we have out there. I wish we had a Chaos Version of some sort. We’ll just have to deal with if you see an Imperial Army on the table you will probably have to ask the question – “Are you going to increase the cost of this strat on me?” Just be sure to ask anyone that looks like your mother if they really are your mother and not some polymorphined Assassin waiting to take your life for the Imperium.
“To assume the shape of the accursed, and deliver death from the purity within you.”
