Warhammer 40K: Previews – Better Than Brood Brothers?
Games Workshop showed off some more info for the Genestealer Cults Detachments in the upcoming codex. Can they dethrone Brood Brothers?
We got a closer look at the Brood Brothers Detachment for the Genestealer Cults and it basically allows you to take half your points from Astra Militarum units now. Plus it has some other rules mixed in, too. The additional heavy armor mixed in with the lighter, sneaker elements of the GSC could be quite a punishing combo. But now we’re getting a look at the other detachments and they seem like they will be able to compete. Let’s take a better look at those now.
“The Ascension Day Detachment returns from the Index, now called the Host of Ascension and armed with remixed Stratagems and new Enhancements. There are three additional Detachments to be found – for a total of five – offering entirely new experiences for aspiring Patriarchs. Each zeroes in on key units and tactics to build your battle plan around, giving these armies a wildly different vibe.”
Genestealer Cult Detachments
Xenocreed Congregation
This one really highlights the fanatics of the Genestealer Cults. It’s built for folks who want to run a board-load of GSC Hybrids with the Magnus, Primus, and Acolyte Iconwards running around. Not only do your characters feed the mob’s zeal by making them Advance and Charge further, they also are protected by the mob.
If one of your characters does have to fail all their 3+ Feel No Pain rolls, that’s not the end of the world as now as you’ve got Vengeance for the Martyr! to use. Oh and don’t forget about Deeds That Speak To The Masses as it improves your Cult Ambush odds.
Biosanctic Broodsurge
Do you like to bring the Aberrants and Genestealers? How about a detachment that powers up your more obvious Genestealer infused members. Just bring some Biophagus character along for the ride.
A bonus to charge rolls and another bonus to attacks on the charge? That’s just a simple and effective detachment rule for these units. And if that’s not enough there’s a few stratagems that can really tip the scales in your favor.
I like the weird Stimulated Bio-Surge as it can give you an even higher chance of landing those charges. It combos really well with your detachment rule here. And there’s also the Gene-Twisted Muscle stratagem that’s just a flat bonus to wound rolls.
Outlander Claw
The final detachment preview we have is the Outlander Claw. This one really focuses on the Jackals and Ridgerunners in your army. If you want a fast moving and outflanking option that’s about the vehicles and still uses Cult Ambush this could be for you.
Rapid Takeover is setup in such a way that it should allow for your faster moving vehicles to snag objectives early. Ideally, you’ll also be able to keep those for the duration with a Atalan Jackals unit, too.
Along Shadowed Trailer gives you the option for “the ol’switcheroo” by allowing you to move a Cult Ambush marker that was within 9″ or more of an enemy unit to a new spot outside of 9″ from the enemy unit. That new Cult Ambush option can only be used by the Atalan Jackals, but that might not be a bad thing! Especally with their detachment rule that gives you better Objective Control.
But Are They Better Than Brood Brothers?
Clearly, I have a soft spot for the Brood Brothers in the GSC army. Do I think these are better than Brood Brothers? I think there’s loads of potential here. Plus, current GSC players may not have a lot of Astra Militarum units ready to go at the start (unless they also happened to play AM, too). Personally, I’ve always liked Genestealers in my lists (probably because I have a full Tyranid Army). I do like the Biosanctic Broodsurge for that reason.
But that’s just me — at the end of the day it’s going to come back to what you already have in your army. Or if you’re building a new force you’ve got five different playstyles to lean into. We really won’t know how good each of these detachments truly are until we get the codexes in hand and the army on the tabletop. The Genestealer Cults have always been a deadly army in the right hands. It’s not an easy army to play but when done right it’s a very, very dangerous one!
