Hello all!  As you probably saw, Implausible Nature was kind of in a holding pattern when the news of 9th Edition hit.  I probably should have made a post about that, but I was answering all of your emails at a furious rate so I figured I got to most of you.  Haha.  Anyway, 9th Edition is officially released and its time to start list building!  We are going to take a look at one of the 9th Edition lists that I've finished. :)

 ~ Battalion Detachment (Black Templars) ~

HQ:
* Marshal (Primaris Captain) w/ Master-crafted Power Sword, Heavy Bolt Pistol, Relic Shield, and The Crusader's Helm.  [105] *Warlord -- Frontline Commander*
* High Marshal Helbrecht.  [155]
* Chaplain Grimaldus w/ Litany of Divine Protection and Fires of Devotion.  *Hero of the Chapter -- Epitome of Piety*  [95]

ELITES:
* Vanguard Veterans (1x Sergeant and 9x Veterans) w/ 4x Thunder Hammers, 7x Storm Shields, 3x Chainswords, 3x Dual Chainswords, and Jump Packs. [278]
* Company Veterans (1x Sergeant and 3x Veterans) w/ 4x Power Swords and 4x Storm Bolters.  [100]
* Bladeguard Veteran Squad (1x Sergeant and 2x Bladeguard) w/ 3x Master-crafted Power Swords, 3x Heavy Bolt Pistols, and 3x Storm Shields.  [105]
* Judiciar w/ Executioner Relic Blade and Absolver Bolt Pistol.  [85]

TROOPS:
* Assault Intercessor Squad (1x Sergeant and 9x Assault Intercessors) w/ 10x Astartes Chainswords and 10x Heavy Bolt Pistols. [190]
* Incursor Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Infiltrators) w/ 5x Paired Combat Blades and 5x Occulus Bolt Carbine. [105]
* Incursor Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Infiltrators) w/ 5x Paired Combat Blades and 5x Occulus Bolt Carbine. [105]

FAST ATTACK:
* Outrider Squad (1x Sergeant and 2x Outriders) w/ 3x Astartes Chainswords, 3x Twin Bolt Rifles, and 3x Heavy Bolt Pistols. [135]
* Outrider Squad (1x Sergeant and 2x Outriders) w/ 3x Astartes Chainswords, 3x Twin Bolt Rifles, and 3x Heavy Bolt Pistols. [135]
* Suppressor Squad (1x Sergeant and 2x Suppressors) w/ 3x Accelerator Autocannons. [105]

HEAVY SUPPORT:
* Devastator Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Devastators) w/ 4x Grav-cannon and Grav-amps, 1x Storm Bolter, and Armorium Cherub. [123]

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS:
* Impulsor w/ 2x Storm Bolters and 1x Ironhail Heavy Stubber.  [111]
* Drop Pod w/ 1x Storm Bolter. [68]

STRATAGEMS:
* Hero of the Chapter (-1CP)

TOTAL POINTS/CP: [2000]/[11 CP]

So, I have been toying with lists ever since the points had been leaked for the Space Marine units.  Most of the core units from 8th Edition still work, so that was the start of my lists.  There is a couple of tenets that I have been following throughout 8th and it has made my lists pretty hard to deal with.  First, we need reliable first turn charges in the form of concealed positions and/or drop pods.  This will influence your opponent's deployment and start to tie up some of their units/start getting those kills.  Then you need a second wave for close combat that can arrive in the 2nd turn.  You also need some harrassment units, preferably something that is quick and manueverable.  Finally, your support pieces.  These can be in the form of shooting or something else, depending on your list's needs.  I run a very "In-your-face" list, so those Suppressors fulfill a need to stop the potential of Overwatch.

This list has 4 dedicated close combat units, not including character support.  Suppressors support those close combat units.  Grimaldus tags around with the Assault Intercessors, buffing them and utilizing The Emperor's Will to get across the board quickly.  The Captain rides with the Bladeguard in the Impulsor, plus the Judiciar to take advantage of Devout Push.  The Judiciar is there to ensure that your opponent does not pull a fast one on you to attack your Bladeguard first.  Your drop pod full of Company Vets and Grav-toting Devastators will reap a fearsome tally with High Marshal Helbrecht riding along.  And finally, the Vanguard Veterans will play cleanup and destroy whatever is in range.  The Outriders will do their part claiming objectives/secondaries and they are no slouch in the shooting/close combat phases either.  55 bodies and 2 vehicles.  Nice.  ;)

So what do you think?  Should be fun!  :D

Hello everyone!  I hope that everyone is staying safe.  With everyone locked down, I was hoping that a new article series would be beneficial to some of the readers out there.  Over the past couple of months, I've gotten to have quite a few conversations with a gentleman many of you may know:  Acebaur, one of the Black Templars moderators from the Bolter and Chainsword forum.  Over the course of these conversations, I've gotten to know him a bit better as a player and based on his questions, comments, and list-building, I asked him if he would be willing to be the subject of this experimental series.  As Acebaur is not an all-in competitive and tournament player, I thought it would be a great way for casual/competitive players to learn from his experiences and the questions he has been bringing to me.  Not everyone has the ability to travel around their respective countries, or internationally for that matter, to get in ultra-competitive games.  I would be willing to bet that most of us stick to a group of common friends and play with those people predominantly.  However, with that being the case...no one wants to consistently lose.  That is where I feel Acebaur sits.  He has a competitive mind, but has some self-imposed restrictions on how to assemble his Black Templars army.  This prevents his lists from becoming as competitive as they can possibly be and that is okay!  This series is going to look into his army's evolution and learning to become the best player he can be.  We are going to start with an interview with Acebaur so that everyone can get a better understanding of who he is and what he is all about.

Marshal Laeroth:  Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me. After getting to know you a bit, I felt you would be a perfect example of the mainstay Black Templars player who is a good mix of competitive and casual. So I want to dig a little into your mind and find about more about who you are as a player.

So to start this off, tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got your start in Warhammer 40k, and why you chose the Black Templars.

Acebaur: Well I've been building and painting models since I was a kid, probably about 25 years now. I started with model planes as most kids do and then moved into model cars which I got quite serious with even entering a few competitions at the local hobby store.  Some of my friends were into 40k and gave me a demo game.  The one guy had Deathwing and they were nicely painted.  I spent most of the demo game admiring the models lol.  So after that I went to the store and looked at the different army books.  This was in 4th edition so Black Templars had their own codex.

ML: Ah, so it was an anesthetics thing. Or were you drawn more to their rules?

Ace: Definitely aesthetics, I love Arthurian legend stuff so naturally I was drawn to them.  One line in particular caught me.  It was talking about the Sword Brethren: "they are the very image of a baroque warrior knight".  I was sold.  Closed the book and bought it lol.

ML:   So you got hooked on the lore and have never turned back. How have you felt about the changes to the Black Templars lore over the past 19 years? Is there anything that really bothers you or that you really like?

Ace:  Oof that's a loaded question if I ever heard one lol. Well I started around 2005, right in the middle of 4th edition. So 6th when they rolled us into Codex Space Marines was a shocker.  They made a lot of really bad, in my opinion changes, to our fluff.  Going from pure unadulterated hatred of psykers to "oh they're OK if they imperium and we just 'lost' our librarians" was probably one of the biggest punches in the gut.  That and the Emperor God worship were two of the most egregious.  One bit I actually did like was the change to the Emperor's Champion.  He went from being super common and just having the best wargear the crusade could find to something special, unique and rare.

ML: I certainly agree with you there. Those changes were huge and caused quite a bit discontent within the Black Templars community, especially on the Bolter and Chainsword forum. Of which, as many know, you are part of the BT moderator team. Tell me about your experiences with B&C and your interaction with the community there. One would say being a moderator is a tough job.

Ace:  It can be, those were some rough times to be sure. I've been a mod for the Templar forum for about 8 years now and I am very thankful for the B&C, it is a great community and I have made some great friends from it over the years. I feel like it's one of the best places to come and discuss 40k on the internet.

ML: Do any particular people, conversations, or events stick out to you?

Ace: Yeah the ETL is always a fun event, as well as the BT expansion events we did pretty regularly.  As for people I've met quite a few through Facebook by groups that I didn't know were also B&C members, yourself included. So that's been nice being able to chat in real time and bounce ideas off each other.

ML: Okay, time to get to the meat. Haha. I am sure you're excited for this. Tell me, how do you believe the Black Templars should wage war on the battlefield?

Ace: In glorious close combat of course!  Haha, that's actually changed for me over the years.

ML: Surely, I had nothing to do with that. Haha.

Ace: Back in 4th when having pure CC mattered, BT players(myself included) got very wrapped up in this idea that bolters = bad and pistols and ccw = good.  But even the 4th Ed codex says that they are armed primarily with the holy bolter.  And yeah, haha you definitely had an influence on bucking that trend.  I think for a lot of us.  Ideally for me, I think Templars prefer close range warfare, using everything they have available to them and then finish them in close combat.  So things like bolters, land raider crusaders, storm bolters, even drop pods with massed devastator fire from like grav or heavy bolters are very Templar to me.  Things I think they'd avoid would be long range devastators and snipers.  Leaving the long range weapons to the tanks is okay.  There's a great quote from one of the Soul Drinkers novels that I think sums it up perfectly: "A Space Marine was safest at the very heart of the battle, face-to-face with his enemy where his armour, weapons, physical strength and valour were magnified and the resolve of his enemy could be shattered."

ML: I think that is a great quote that does a good job of describing the end goal of the Black Templars: destroying the last of the enemy in close quarters. You mentioned that you started off as a pure close combat list builder and evolved into a more balanced play-style. Have you found success in this change? Or was it cosmetic? Would you say that because you've made these changes, you are more of a competitive player now than you are a casual, lore-driven player? Have received any blow-back from other BT players for your list building choices? How about the use of the more controversial units released in recent years: the Primaris marines? What are your thoughts on them?

Ace: Weirdly in 4th and even 5th to an extent it was viable to be CC only. Not anymore unless you are like Nids or Orks and they win through numbers. Something marines can't really do.  I have found some improvement in my games for sure. Though I should say that I'm finally getting an actually decent amount of games in, compared to 7th when I barely played at all.  Still a work in progress though lol.  Definitely more competitive than I previously was though.  I'd still say I'm lore driven though, there are limitations that I impose on myself for lore reasons.  There are definitely some folks who dont like the idea of Primaris because they don't really have dedicated melee units.  It was something that was hard for me to accept too.  Mainly because I don't like the primaris lore on how they came to be, felt really shoehorned to me.  I think I realized that units like incursors are actually really great and fluffy in a Templar list. They have solid melee, can get first turn charges, and you can use the crusader helm on them turn one. If charging into combat with 2 ccw on first turn in the assault doctrine isn't Templar, then I dunno what is lol.

ML: Ah, so a competitive player with self-imposed limitations. It will be interesting to see some of those in the coming article series when we take a look at your army lists. Looking at your opponents, do you get out to tournaments? Or do you have a gaming group that you play with? If the latter, are they competitive players?

Ace: I don't play in tournaments, I find them too draining and I'm not wanting to really play at thst level of competition. It would mean making sacrifices to my lore limitations that I'm not willing to make.  Plus I prefer to play with people I know.  My play group is probably about the same as me. They are competitive but not to the point of trying to cheese out their lists.  My play group is probably about the same as me. They are competitive but not to the point of trying to cheese out their lists.

ML:  Lol! I feel a punchline in there.  What does your play group play?

Ace: Haha yeah probably! We have a pretty good mix. Most of us have more than one army, but we have a few different chapters of space marine, Death Guard, orks, nids, and IG.

ML: Oh, so you have broken the faith of the Black Templars and gone to the Witch, Mutant, Heretic, or Xenos? Suffer not the xenos psyker kittens!

Ace: Gonna out me huh? Lol, yeah I did recently buy into Necrons.  At least they don't have psykers right?

ML: Haha. I had to. ;)  Ouch, low-blow since you know that I've expanded into Harlequins/Ynnari. lol!

Ace: LOL

ML: Just a couple more questions for you. What is your favorite Black Templars unit and how do you use them in your games?

Ace: Ooh tough question.  Pretty much anything that smashes face in close combat. :D  Vanguard Vets and assault terminators are definitely up there.  There's something classic about a marine smashing face with a thunder hammer lol.  The LRC is one of my favorites too, such an iconic tank.  I like that power swords and storm shields are actually viable now, really classic. 

ML: Do you have a favorite stratagem or relic, either from the Space Marine codex or from PA 2: Faith & Fury?

Ace: Yeah Devout Push and The Emperor's Will are hilariously good for us. Solves a lot of problems with getting our zealous brothers into combat.  For relics, we have so many good ones, nice for a change eh?  Probably the crusader helm or the Witchseeker bolts are very useful.

ML: I know, right? I feel like the competitive community is under appreciating how good some of the things from Faith & Fury are, and therefore, how competitive the Black Templars can be. I think it would only take just a few more players to be able to attend GT's to start bringing some light to some of the shenanigans the BT can pull off.

Ace: There's actually very little that is bad in Faith and Fury, but I think part of the problem is that the community feels(and rightfully so) that it's like half of a supplement when we were promised full support from GW.  Some people can't let that go.  I've decided it's not worth my time to worry about it and just focus on the stuff we do have.

ML: I agree. No use getting up in arms about it. Best to learn to make use of everything we have access to and be the best player you can with that. Well, I got to thank you for answering my questions for the past couple of hours. I am excited to see where Acebaur's Travels goes. For the next article, I'd love to see your favorite Black Templars list and some analysis behind your choices. But to finish off today, is there anything else you would like to say to the greater BT community out there?

Ace: The Crusade is Eternal brothers, we are the Black Templars, victory is its own reward!

~ Sword Brethren Brigade Detachment (Black Templars) ~

HQ:
​* Marshal (Captain) w/ Teeth of Terra and Jump Pack.  [93] *Field Commander -- Master Swordsman*
* Chaplain (Master of Sanctity) w/ 1x Bolt Pistol, Jump Pack, and Crusader Helm. LItany of Divine Protection and Fires of Devotion.  [90]
* High Marshal Helbrecht.  [150]  *Warlord -- Frontline Commander*

ELITES:
* Vanguard Veterans (1x Sergeant and 9x Veterans) w/ 1x Sword of Judgement, 3x Thunder Hammers, 7x Storm Shields, 3x Chainswords, 3x Dual Chainswords, and Jump Packs. [236]
* Invictor Tactical Warsuit w/ 1x Incendium Cannon.  [131]
* Invictor Tactical Warsuit w/ 1x Incendium Cannon.  [131]
* Invictor Tactical Warsuit w/ 1x Incendium Cannon.  [131]
* Company Veterans (1x Sergeant and 3x Veterans) w/ 4x Power Swords and 4x Storm Bolters.  [80]
* Company Veterans (1x Sergeant and 3x Veterans) w/ 4x Power Swords and 4x Storm Bolters.  [80]

TROOPS:
* Neophyte Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Scouts) w/ 5x Bolt Pistols, and 5x Chainswords. [55]
* Neophyte Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Scouts) w/ 5x Bolt Pistols, and 5x Chainswords. [55]
* Neophyte Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Scouts) w/ 5x Bolt Pistols, and 5x Chainswords. [55]
* Neophyte Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Scouts) w/ 5x Bolt Pistols, and 5x Chainswords. [55]
* Neophyte Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Scouts) w/ 5x Bolt Pistols, and 5x Chainswords. [55]
* Neophyte Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Scouts) w/ 5x Bolt Pistols, and 5x Chainswords. [55]

FAST ATTACK:
* Land Speeder Tempest w/ 1x Assault Cannon and 2x Tempest Salvo Launchers. [87]
* Suppressor Squad (1x Sergeant and 2x Suppressors) w/ 3x Accelerator Autocannons and Grav-chuts. [90]
* Suppressor Squad (1x Sergeant and 2x Suppressors) w/ 3x Accelerator Autocannons and Grav-chuts. [90]

HEAVY SUPPORT:
* Eliminator Squad (1x Sergeant and 2x Eliminators) w/ 3x Bolt Sniper Rifles.  [72]
* Eliminator Squad (1x Sergeant and 2x Eliminators) w/ 3x Bolt Sniper Rifles.  [72]
* Eliminator Squad (1x Sergeant and 2x Eliminators) w/ 3x Bolt Sniper Rifles.  [72]

DEDICATED TRANSPORTS:
* Drop Pod w/ 1x Storm Bolter.  [65]

STRATAGEMS:
* Black Templars Sword Brethren Detachment (-1CP)
* Master of Sanctity (-1CP)
* Field Commander (-1CP)
* Relics of the Chapter (-1CP)
* Crusader Relics -- Sword of Judgement (-1CP)

TOTAL POINTS/CP: [2000]/[10 CP]

So as you can see, I am running one brigade detachment, but it is utilizing the Sword Brethren specialist designation from the Vigilus Defiant book for 1 CP. The main need is for Master Swordsman and Field Commander so that we can field the Teeth of Terra Captain for our army, but it also gives us access to two stratagems that only impact "Sword Brethren" models (e.g. Captains, Helbrecht, Company Veterans, etc).  While you may not see their use often, it is a nice little trick up your sleeve to increase damage output or defense if you need it.  The brigade itself opens up a lot of CP for pre-game use, as well as during the game.  We all of the stratagems available to us, we need to ensure we have an adequate supply during the game.

All right, time to look at my HQ slot.  First on the list is our Marshal (Captain).  He will take Field Commander so that the warlord trait "Master Swordsman" is accessible to him.  In addition, he will take the Space Marine relic Teeth of Terra.  This guy generates a ton of attacks and wounds, especially when you are in Assault Doctrine and is practically a must-take for our lists.  Not only does he get 9 attacks on the charge via the ToT relic, you will on average generate another 1.5 attacks from Master Swordsman.  Absolute monster to everything T5 and under.  The marshal has a jump pack to grant him FLY, which dramatically improves his mobility and ability to bring his reroll 1's aura where you need it.  We also have High Marshal Helbrecht, who is in the list as our warlord.  As he will be protected by two squads of company veterans to tank wounds for him, as well as his nice stat-line, he shouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.  It also unlocks his warlord trait of Frontline Commander, which will increase charge and advance rolls by 1".  With there being several units coming out of a drop pod near the enemy, this increase will be hugely beneficial to ensure our dangerous units make their charges.  Add in his strength +1 and full reroll to hit auras, and you will find that he is a buffing machine.  Helbrecht is no slouch in close combat either, which a staggering 9 attack potential (8 is average though) and Strength 6.  Lastly, we have our Master of Sanctity, who is also armed with a jump pack.  This aids in his mobility around the board, as well as generating litanies for our army.  The Fires of Devotion litany is pretty standard fair here, as it is a straight buff to a close combat unit each turn.  The idea is to follow behind the vanguard veterans to increase their damage potential.  I've chosen Litany of Divine Protection as the second litany, as the MoS will be accompanying the Vanguard Vets and they are one of the most important units on the board for us.  It would be a huge loss for the list to have this unit destroyed prematurely.  With that being said, Psalm of Remorseless Persecution is a perfectly acceptable choice here and will certainly increase the damage output of one of the most important units in the list, as well as others within its range.  The MoS also has the Crusader Helm, which helps facilitate the getting into assault doctrine earlier.  It will (if an FAQ comes out confirming it) also allow those litany aura's to be increased by 3".  Right now, RAW says that it already does this, but its always nice to confirm.  Can't complain about 9" Litany of Hate and potentially, Psalm of the Remorseless Persecution.

Now, the Elites slot.  Here is the meat of the list.  We have two units of four Company Veterans armed with storm bolters and power swords, three units of Invictors with Incendium Cannons, and one big unit of Vanguard Vets decked out in storm shields and close combat weapons.  These are the guys that are going to be really putting the pressure on your opponent.  The first line of attack is the Invictors, who are going to be utilizing the insanely powerful concealed positions special rule to get very close to the enemy.  Depending on the deployment map and who has first turn, you could very well have these guys in your opponent's army on the very first turn.  They definitely hold their own as well, with five strength 14/-3 AP/Dmg 3 attacks.  That's not even counting their firepower potential.  Just that alone will kill a touch over 7 MEQ a turn left unchallenged.  To help box your opponent in, you have a drop pod filled with Helbrecht and the two squads of Company Veterans.  These guys will lay down excellent supporting fire with their storm bolters (remember to reroll all fails from Helbrecht's aura), then charge in to lay the hurt down.  With power swords, hit rerolls, and the +1 Strength aura from Helbrecht, these guys are putting the hurt on anything without a 3++/4++ save in close combat.  As such, they can target just about anything you need to eliminate.  Or due to their reasonable price...set them up as threats to eat up attention.  Just remember, you can utilize these guys to soak up wounds from Helbrecht and then attempt to save the mortal wound via our Chapter Tactics.  You really don't need the assault doctrine with these guys, but once it activates, the veterans are only going to get better.  You will also see potential use of our two stratagems from the Sword Brethren detachment on these guys.  The Vanguard Veterans fill out our elites slot as the dedicated close combat threat in the list.  These guys had thunder hammers and chainswords primarily, but with 7 of the members of the unit with storm shields, they can take a surprising amount of firepower.  Buffed with the Crusader Helm, Captain's aura, and litanies from our chaplain, we turn these average close combat threats into a monstrosity that will eat through most anything (even Knights!).  They are perfect for tagging multiple enemies with their FLY.

The troops slot is rather simple: six units of 5 scouts.  They are cheap and very excellent carriers of the concealed position special rule, allowing you to deploy to counter your opponent's deployment.  Need to keep your opponent from using deep strike shenanigans?  Screen with your scouts.  Need a small, cheap squads for objectives?  Perfect.  They are also good harassment units in close combat, with decent stratagem support.  While a five man scout isn't going to knock off anything scary, you can use them to put some wounds on your opponents important squads or simply to tag their units.  If you survive the ensuing combat, pop your stratagem to keep your opponent right where they are.  Or you can use them to overload your opponents with targets and push them deeper into their deployment zone.  Obviously this doesn't work with FLY units, but armies that rely on shooting will suffer greatly if these units are stuck in combat with lowly scout squads.

Fast Attack has a land speeder who is there primarily to capture objectives in ITC and hopefully put some meaningful wounds on a few of your opponent's units.  With the recent point deductions to the Tempest, this guy is a straight upgrade over the more long range Typhoon.  More wounds, toughness, and better guns never hurts an army.  They also have the happy ability to generate a -1 to hit against the Tempest if they advance 20-35".  Excellent way to claim objectives at the end of the game.  Our two units of Suppressors have two roles.  First, to ensure our enemy does not overwatch our units in the charge phase.  This is especially important in the first couple turns, which fortunately, devastator doctrine assists us with.  Pick a couple units who are especially dangerous to us and go at it.  The second role is to go monster/vehicle hunting.  Between the two squads, you're putting out 12 Str 7 attacks, with -2 AP, and 2 damage.  Not great, but certainly could be worse.

Last, but certainly not least...Eliminators.  These three units fill our heavy support slot.  These guys are an absolute nightmare for your opponent's characters, which can make or break a list.  At the stupidly cheap price of 72 points an unit, you can throw these guys in cover and shrug off tons of incoming fire.  All the while, knocking off critical pieces on your opponents side of the board.  These guys can also hide behind line of sight cover and still put fire down on your opponent, which is huge.

So the basic strategy is as follows.  Conceal Position your Invictors as close to your opponent as possible, taking special care to utilize cover if its available.  These are going to be your "first wave".  Due to your concealed positioned rule, your opponent will not know where you are coming from and will likely have tried to deploy to minimize their impact on the board.  However, since you also have a drop pod full of death, your opponent will have to be very choice on their deployment.  Castling will force them into their deployment zone too soon and you will tie up their units quickly.  You don't always have to kill stuff to win, as tagging their army with units to block their movement is huge.  They can also spread out, but then they are vulnerable to multi-charges and reducing the impact of their own shooting, while opening themselves up to yours.  Between the drop pod and the invictors, your opponent will be thinking pretty hard about you coming their way.  2nd wave might actually be a first turn charge from the vanguard veterans if everything worked out well with deployment.  Vanguard vets have a huge 28" threat range with stratagem use and if properly buffed, can potentially cripple your opponent first turn.  Everything else in the list follows up later or supports those main elite units.  Very balanced, while still throwing a ton of dangerous units your opponents direction.

In the next week, we're going to start a new article series covering questions I have been getting from a fellow Black Templars player and how to attack things like list building, tactics using those lists, and unit opinions.  Have a safe day everyone!

Hello to you!  While I can certainly do as you are requesting, or at least give tips, just understand that you would be seriously hampering your list not using Primaris.  With that being said, we still have quite a few very strong units that are in the "classic" model range.

First, the HQ units.  Honestly, we're running classic marines here anyway.  Captains/Chaplains/Lieutenants with Jump Packs, High Marshal Helbrecht, and Chaplain Grimaldus.  The only other HQ you really might take right now is the Phobos Captain, but he is an outlier.  You might also see an inquisitor here, but that will be another post.  The reason?  Mobility.  Our forces do better when they move around the board quickly, offer up their buffs to similarly mobile units, and get into fray.  Everything else is selling our chapter tactics, doctrines, and stratagems short.

Then we have troops.  Having no access to primaris, that leaves us Crusader squads or Scouts.  Technically, we also have Tactical squads...but you're likely only to use them in a fully mechanized transport build (rhinos/drop pods).  The most competitive choice here is scouts for a number of reasons.  First, their points cost makes them much more efficient in double-battalion detachments or brigades.  Second, scouts have a fantastic special rule called Concealed Positions.  This allows you to effectively decide your deployment after your opponent puts their models on the board.  Huge advantage, as you will be able to deploy defensively or aggressively depending on your match-up.  Third, there are several stratagems that are unique to the Black Templars that target our scouts and make them much more effective.  Crusader squads also have a new rule that is a boon to the neophytes in the unit, but the crusader squad prefers to be fielded in larger numbers.  This means you're likely to be footslogging, which is not always competitive if you're not moving at jump pack speeds.  Fortunately, we have some tools to get us across the board via Litanies, Frontline Commander, and stratagems.  You also want those larger squads so that you can hopefully absorb some of those casualties on the way to your target.  Losing some weapon versatility with the Crusader Squad makes it less of an attractive objective holder and using them in a mechanized list means you will be eating a ton of points for that mobility.  Ultimately, it comes down to whether you can afford to build around a larger Crusader squad or two; or the Scouts using Concealed Positions, but having less durability.  I tend to lean towards Scouts.

Now that the more simple choices are out of the way, we'll look at the units that are really starting to get sticky for choices.  Let's look at the Elites first.  This slot has a ton of value in it for classic marines, including two of the best units for us:  Vanguard Veterans and Company Veterans.  The Vanguard Vets give us a legitimate close combat threat that is highly mobile, versatile in its close combat weaponry, and has some stratagem support to make it more lethal.  Utilizing those jump packs, you can often avoid enemy bubble wrap and never get stuck in a combat you don't want to be in (no penalties to leaving combat with FLY).  You can also smack FLY-units out of the sky in close combat, which is hilarious to imagine; though against most Flyer-role units, you'll be hard pressed to keep up with them with their extreme speed.  Company Veterans hit those versatile notes as well, being able to be armed with a variety of ranged options as well as close combat weaponry.  The downside is these guys are limited to 5-man units and do not have jump packs.  Sadness.  The other competitive pick here is the Assault Centurians.  These guys, armed with Hurricane Bolters, are death incarnate.  They are grossly under-costed and are very hard to eliminate.  If they hit your opponent's lines, game-over.  However, they are slow as heck.  They need a way across the board, so Land Raider Crusaders are where its at since we don't have the redeployment shenanigans of the Raven Guard or advancing that White Scars can do.

The fast attack slot is a little bit easier here, as there is only a couple of competitive slots here.  Land Speeders and bikers, specifically Scout Bikers.  The former suffers from a -1 to hit to its weaponry if it moves, but its very fast and has a nice complement of long range weaponry.  This will be important to help eliminate anything that might outrange your forces.  Alternatively, the Land Speeder Tempest will be an aggressive close range weapons platform with additional durability, but can be critical late in the game.  The Scout Bikers are huge in that they can pump out a ton of close range shots and are very cheap.  Excellent anti-infantry.  These two are your best bets.

Next up is the heavy support slot.  So there really is two units that are being taken in competitive games right now.  Thunderfire Cannons and Eliminators.  Obviously, since Eliminators are primaris based, we cannot use them.  So that leaves Thunderfire Cannons due to the stratagems available to Space Marines.  However, they aren't very efficient spammed in your lists.  That opens up some other options with the list.  We have the Devastator Centurians which can effectively eliminate any unit on the drop, especially with their grav stratagem, but are ridiculously expensive.  If you need something dead, these guys can do it.  But like their assault counter-parts, they need transportation.  Land Raider Crusaders are able to transport the units of doom across the board, while having a ton of shots themselves.  They also lend themselves well to our newest stratagems, allowing their occupants to get into combat without the threat of overwatch and reduce the ability of your opponent to hit your unit in return.  We also have Relic Leviathian Dreadnoughts which are stupidly good, but require you to have another non-relic unit.  They are also a little on the expensive side of things, but well-worth the points if you can fit it in.

Finally, the Flyer slot.  There really isn't a whole lot to look at in this slot as everything is too expensive for what it does unless you're playing Iron Hands.  Why?  Because you are likely moving each turn and that reduces your to hit rolls by one.  That is a serious hit to your shooting efficiency.  Stormravens used to be the thing, able to pack quite a bit of firepower with some transport capacity, but "Boots on the Ground" basically prevented them from impacting the objective game, which was a huge nerf.  Being a flyer isn't as good anymore, as many infantry choices are able to fly and engage them in close combat, where they fold like a wet blanket.  If you decide to go with a unit here, you're really looking at the Stormraven for its transport capabilities and using the weaponry as a bonus.  A secondary choice would be the Stormtalons.  But there are better choices in other slots and these guys will eat up your points quick, which deny your ability to fill battalion and/or brigade detachments.

Now that you have a brief look at the best units in the book, how do we build those lists?  Brigade or Battalion detachments are a must here.  Start with your Teeth of Terra Captain and build from there.  Chaplains are usually a pretty good place to start, but you need to remember that you have to be on the board at the start of the turn to utilize their litanies.  Jump packs should be obvious here, as walking is bad.  Scouts fill out the troops slots, then take Vanguard Veteran squads.  Trust me, they are worth every point.  The rest of your force is going to depend on whether you used a battalion or brigade.  Honestly, its going to be difficult to build an effective brigade without using Primaris marines though, due to how cheap they can be.  Take those double-battalions and you can fill your list to taste!

So there you have it...we are definitely competitive using the "old" marines.  This is just a small sampling of the most competitive stuff, but you can use most everything in the book now.  Especially the HQ, Elites, and Troops slot.  Angels of Death is that good, especially when you add in our chapter tactics.

Good luck and thanks for reading!

~ Battalion Detachment (Black Templars) ~

HQ:
* Chaplain Venerable Dreadnought w/ 1x Twin Lascannon, 1x Dreadnought CCW, and Mantra of Strength.  [167] *Warlord -- Epitome of Piety*
* Chaplain Venerable Dreadnought w/ 1x Twin Lascannon, 1x Dreadnought CCW, and Canticle of Hate.  [167]

ELITES:
* Ironclad Dreadnought w/ 1x Dreadnought Chainfist, 1x Hurricane Bolters, 1x Heavy Flamer, and 2x Hunter-Killer Missiles.  [134]
* Ironclad Dreadnought w/ 1x Dreadnought Chainfist, 1x Hurricane Bolters, 1x Heavy Flamer, and 2x Hunter-Killer Missiles.  [134]
* Ironclad Dreadnought w/ 1x Dreadnought Chainfist, 1x Hurricane Bolters, 1x Heavy Flamer, and 2x Hunter-Killer Missiles.  [134]
* Relic Contemptor Dreadnought w/ 2x Twin Lascannons and 1x Cyclone Missle Launcher.  [222]

TROOPS:
* Scout Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Scouts) w/ 1x Storm Bolter, 4x Bolt Pistols, and 5x Combat Knives. [57]
* Scout Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Scouts) w/ 1x Storm Bolter, 4x Bolt Pistols, and 5x Combat Knives. [57]
* Scout Squad (1x Sergeant and 4x Scouts) w/ 1x Storm Bolter, 4x Bolt Pistols, and 5x Combat Knives. [57]

HEAVY SUPPORT:
* Relic Leviathan Dreadnought w/ 2x Storm Cannon Array, 2x Heavy Flamers, and 3x Hunter-Killer Missles. [321]
* Thunderfire Cannon. [92]

~ Vanguard Detachment (Black Templars) ~

HQ:
* Techmarine (Master of the Forge) w/ 1x Storm Bolter, 1x Power Axe, Crusader's Helm, and Servo-harness.  [63]  *Hero of the Chapter -- Warden of the Ancients*

ELITES:
* Invictor Tactical Warsuit w/ Incendium Cannon.  [131]
* Invictor Tactical Warsuit w/ Incendium Cannon.  [131]
* Invictor Tactical Warsuit w/ Incendium Cannon.  [131]

STRATAGEMS:
* Master of the Forge (-1CP)
* Hero of the Chapter (-1CP)

TOTAL POINTS/CP: [1998]/[7 CP]

You may be thinking: why are we using Black Templars instead of Iron Hands here?  Well, for starters, several of the important units in this list ignore wounds on a 6+ naturally, just like the Iron Hands do so we don't need their chapter tactic to get it.  And our Master of the Forge regenerates wounds just as well.  Additionally, Iron Hands are good at shooting stuff with vehicles, being reliable at doing it, and playing a more defensive game.  Black Templars don't play any of that non-sense, so we're throwing a ton of dreadnoughts into close combat and enjoying it.  Just as the Emperor demands.  The Black Templars are uniquely suited to getting units into close combat reliably, as well as a good defense against mortal wounds -- something vehicles hate.

So here is the deal.  We have three Invictors that are going to Conceal Position up as distractions to your opponent.  Chances are, you'll lose 1-2 of them in the first couple turns, but that third one will start eating things.  If they survive, you've got a ton of anti-infantry generated from those Incendium Cannons and the Invictor Fists.  Then we see some fire support in the form of the Relic Leviathan (anti-everything), Relic Contemptor (anti-tank), and the Thunderfire Cannon (anti-infantry).  But our big hitters are the Ironclad Dreadnoughts and Venerable Chaplain Dreadnoughts.  By themselves, they will rock your opponent's line with highly efficient close combat attacks (plus their ranged weapons while moving across the board), especially if the Chaplain is there to buff everyone's strength.  Once in combat, they will be incredibly hard to dislodge and you can combo some stratagem use to ensure those dreadnoughts survive and/or keep those enemy units in combat.

All of this doesn't work, though, if we don't have our Master of the Forge.  He is utilizing the Crusader's Helm, which extends his repair range to 4", which gives you much more flexibility in who to heal.  Not only that, you take the randomness of that heal away and will give a straight 3 wounds back each turn.  Not bad.  But really takes the cake is the Warden of the Ancients warlord trait for the Master of the Forge.  You gain 1 strength and 1 attack for all dreadnoughts within 6" of the MotF.  Oh wait...9" due to our Crusader's Helm -- a BT exclusive relic.  This means you can create a massive rock of 4-5 dreadnoughts storming directly towards your opponent or split off the Chaplain dreadnoughts and have the MotF watch over your Ironclad dreads.  Because those Chaplain dreads are characters, they won't be shot until your other dreads are taken care of...no easy task.  Those additional attacks and extra strength makes a huge difference in their effectiveness in close combat.  Just as the Black Templars like it.  Close combat dreads done better than Iron Hands.  ;)

Anyway, that's the list I've been messing with.  I'll see you in ITC tournaments soon with this list!  I hope you all enjoy it.

A lot of the combo's that we will be utilizing will revolve around our HQ's.  We will be taking at least 2 Chaplains per list to ensure that our litanies are active, which will help us get into combat reliably and increase the effectiveness of our units.  One of them will also be carrying the Crusader Helm to ensure we get an early assault doctrine for one of the close combat units.  But HQ's are just the start.

So here is the thing.  Our chapter tactics and "super" doctrine do not allow us to take a large chunk of the codex's units efficiently, since they have a transportation problem.  Transports cost points.  Points are precious for our lists and our return on investment on them isn't always the greatest.  But if our units cannot get to the enemy, we are not able to access our doctrine.  Close combat kills and tying up our opponent in assault is how we win the game.  We are not suited to long firefights.  So, we're going to get a lot of use out of Elites and Troops slot for this, coupled with some deployment shenanigans.

No list will be effective without SOME firepower, if only to kill blocks of infantry at least.  Thunderfire Cannons come to mind for this, as can Inceptor squads.  You can even combine roles in this effect with units such as Assault Centurians, Company Veterans, and/or Invictor Tactical Warsuits as examples. Likewise, Eliminators and Suppressors feed very well into what we're trying to accomplish with our lists.  The former eliminate key enemy HQ units and the latter ensures you get to combat intact.  However, with that being said, some of the most successful lists out there right now in tournament play do not have large shooting contingencies.  It is supplemental.  Players are using close combat to deal with vehicles or other issues in their lists.  Notable exceptions are Iron Hands lists and drone-spam Tau.  Nevertheless, if we can get to the opponent with our units, we stand a good chance of winning with our stratagems.

The key going forward is that we need to be in combat right away in the game.  Like first turn, right away.  We have some tools to help make that happen, but we also do not want to charge into a castle and get blown away by overwatch.  We can deploy on the ground first turn into cover, using units like Vanguard Veterans backed up by litanies from our Chaplains, and potentially get a charge off first turn utilizing our new stratagem "The Emperor's Will".  Jump packs are important for this, as it obviously gives us a larger movement range and FLY.  That will prevent an opponent from catching you with Suppression Fire and halving your movement.  With the right setup, you can get pretty much any unit across the board for a potential first turn charge.  But its not something we want to build a list around, as its a gimmick we cannot guarantee in tournament play.

Fortunately, we have drop pods, which can facilitate first turn charges.  This is particularly useful for Company Veterans packing Storm Bolters and Chainswords; even more so if they are backed up by a character.  Putting the right unit in a drop pod can put the enemy on their back foot right from the start.  There is another special rule that helps us get into combat quickly: Concealed Positions.  Fortunately, the new codex has given us a ton of new units with this special rule.  It is actually the basis of one of my archetypes, Peak-a-Boo Templars.  Concealed Position does not always guarantee a first turn charge since you still need to be 9" from your opponent's deployment zone (and they may not be at the edge of it) as well as their units, but it does allow you to position your units in a strategic manner so that you can move into their deployment zone on your first turn and potentially make those charges.

One unit that fulfills this need is the Scout squad.  For a long time now, Scouts have been one of the most effective and cheap ways to fill Battalion/Brigade detachments.  Now, we have a legitimate buff source for our Scouts -- the stratagem "Oaths of Honour".  This makes a 10-man unit more effective than a Incursor squad or even a Reiver sqaud in close combat.  The larger unit size allows us to take casualties and still be effective, but scouts are cheap enough that this isn't a points drain on your overall list.  But you can also go the Incursor route here for your troops.  There really is no straight wrong answer here, so long as you are taking concealed position troops (unless you are building around blob crusader squads...but that is for another post).

The key for our lists is to overload our opponent with close combat threats.  Throw your cheap throwaway scouts at your opponent to soak overwatch, then follow up with Vanguard Veterans, Reivers, or maybe Invictor Tactical Warsuits.  Do your damage, consolidate further into combats to trap enemy units and prevent them from leaving with "Tenacious Assault".  We have a lot going for us now; outside of GSC, there really hasn't been a close combat army that disrupts like we do.  The Black Templars may not be a wrecking ball in close combat (unless you're taking a rock unit), but we can do some pretty cool things once we get there to prevent our opponents from doing what they want.  We just have to make sure we are building our lists correctly to maximize its effectiveness.