Its been some time since I did an analysis like this one regarding BT archetypes, but I think its time. I had hoped to do this Post-Battle Reports, but I've got the itch and it needs to be scratched. The Black Templar armies are always changing to keep up with the needs of its players and their "meta". But even more important, the Grand Tournament scene is also changing, so our lists need to adapt to keep pace. If we don't, we'll always be a mediocre army. That isn't acceptable to me.
Please note, this article is not meant to cover everything 100%. There might be things that I forget to mention and will either edit them in or post a Part Two. So, with that, let's begin!
Please note, this article is not meant to cover everything 100%. There might be things that I forget to mention and will either edit them in or post a Part Two. So, with that, let's begin!
The first thing that needs to be mentioned is the "improvement" to the US Grand Tournament scene. Over the past year or so, competitive gamers have demanded more balanced tournaments to measure their skill levels free of comp, soft scores, and bogus mission perimeters. For the most part, they have gotten these things. Nova Open was the biggest name to bring change, throwing together an event that drew enormous praise for its competitiveness. It was so successful, that dozens of TO's emulated the Nova Open formula for their tournaments. Even already established events such as Adepticon and WargamesCon took the success of Nova Open and tried to improve their tournaments. But this wasn't just an United States thing; this style of tournament spread to the UK and Australia rather quickly and has found great success there.
Now that Nova Open 2011 has come and gone, I have a feeling that we're going to continue to see even more emulation of this style of tournament. Don't fix what isn't broken, as they say. This means even more GT's will be featuring the Nova formula and players are going to have much more exposure than ever before. So we all need to be prepared for it. While I do think that certain things need to be improved before next year, the only one that really makes an impact on game play and our lists is the terrain issue. You may have already seen/read, this year featured about a 35-40% terrain coverage on each board, with as many as 3-4 terrain pieces that blocked line of sight. That is a lot of terrain.
One additional rule in play was that no matter where you were in a piece of terrain, you counted as if you were in cover. Even if you were standing out in the open on the top of a hill. As the tournament wore on, this terrain gradually gravitated towards the center of the board, causing a massive cluster #*&@ to occur. Not only did this hamper movement significantly, except for armies that didn't care about it anyway, but it drastically cut down on LOS for shooting purposes. Between the BLOS terrain and the cover rule, armies that relied on the shooting phase to win games had an uphill battle from the very beginning. I've been told that MVBrandt (Nova Open founder and TO) intends to keep this setup for next year. Thus, we need to change with the times! To start off, we need to examine the list I took this year to Nova Open.
HQ:
* Emperor's Champion w/ Black Sword, Bolt Pistol, Armor of Faith, and the Vow: "Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch." [110]
Elites:
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
Troops:
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Searchlights. [192]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Searchlights. [192]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Searchlights. [192]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Searchlights. [192]
Fast Attack:
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
Heavy Support:
* Predator Destructor w/ Autocannon, Lascannon Side-Sponsons, and Searchlights. [126]
* Predator Destructor w/ Autocannon, Lascannon Side-Sponsons, and Searchlights. [126]
* Predator Destructor w/ Autocannon, Lascannon Side-Sponsons, and Searchlights. [126]
Total Points: [1996]
Its pretty obvious what this list does. The purpose and goal of the list is to shoot my opponent, pin them in their deployment zone, then pound them into submission while I move to control the objectives. In my games leading up to Nova Open, it did this very effectively and I had little difficulty against all of the different tournament lists out there. However, when I actually played in the GT, things were different. Some of this can be attributed to my lack of sleep/hunger (my fault), poor decision making on Day One, and more skilled opponents. But not all of it. Terrain definitely played a part in my success and lack of it. There were very few open field targets and almost everything I shot at had cover. This made it extremely difficult to destroy my opponent's transports and I didn't have enough firepower to dislodge my opponent from objectives (which were always in cover). I learned to play a game of cat and mouse with my opponent, picking targets with extreme care, and push for the mission goals right at the end of the game. It was unfortunate that I adapted too late in Day One to salvage a winning record for the tournament.
Later on in my games, I felt like my Crusader squads were never actually firing their weapons, but rather packed up in their transports to preserve them. These Razorbacks were typically moving around, trying to take advantage of cover to claim/contest objectives. Thus, my troops squads lasted quite a long time in almost every game. It was very rare for my opponent to kill more than two squads and their Razorbacks. Even still, I felt like only having four limited my options in games so I would like more of them. So in essence, my Crusader squads were not doing what they were meant to do in their games. Because of this, they need to be changed. Whether its how they're armed or what role they will play is yet up in the air.
The next thing that my list had an issue with was dedicated close combat units. I was somewhat able to mitigate the effectiveness of these units by movement blocking, but as I noted in Game Three, this wasn't always possible and it hurt me badly. Even throwing bubble-wrap units in the way didn't save me for long. The only units that could sort of perform in CC were the tactical Terminators, but only against non-dedicated CC units. But guess what? I only needed them against dedicated-CC units, as all of the other units were either too far away or I couldn't reach them due to all of the terrain. Plus, I really needed their firepower capabilities as they were the easiest to move around, position in optimal firing lanes, and provided the best kill ratio. So some sort of close combat could definitely be beneficial to a list, but only if it has the means to get from Point A to Point B quickly and reliably.
While I cannot say for sure yet (waiting on the lists from MVBrandt), I have a feeling that the players that did well were packing Land Raiders. In fact, across the whole tournament, it seemed that the Land Raider lists did better overall. Why? Because of the terrain! When you have pieces of terrain that could easily hide a LR, you're going to have difficulty killing it. It also had cover moving all the way across the board, so it'd likely deliver its cargo. Vulkan-led Space Marine lists did especially well with their Land Raiders, with several lists playing on the top tables. Does this mean I endorse the use of Land Raiders again? No, but its worth taking a look at.
Finally, I needed a way to dislodge units from objectives or, at the very least, threaten them in their backfield. Too many of my opponents hid their units behind BLOS terrain where I couldn't shoot them, nor could I reach them with my transports. Essentially, those units were guaranteed to live and claim their objective. While this could have worked the same for me, I needed my army shooting as much as possible. Because of that, my opponent almost always had LOS to my units. Fortunately, there were few times where this hurt me, but it very well could have. My inability to bring a "kill punch" to my enemy cost me games. I need to have something in my list that essentially guarantees something dies when I either shoot at it or charge with it. But it also needs to be durable. Even being able to simply contest those back objectives would have helped me, but I had nothing beyond my Land Speeders able to do such a thing (and they got targeted early).
Realistically, there were a few main things that need to be addressed in some fashion in my future lists. More mobility, improved troop durability/redundancy, an effective "kill punch", and the ability to mitigate dedicated CC-unit's effectiveness. I found that I didn't need as much shooting as I had to be effective, because much of it was negated anyway. My fire lanes were limited and I was only able to get a few units into position to do maximum damage. And no, "Kill Them All" didn't really affect me. I think I failed maybe two KTA tests all tournament. If I combine these elements into my future lists, I think I'll be in a better position to win. So let's take a look at what I had planned to run as my Nova Open 2012 list, should I choose to take the Black Templars:
HQ:
* Castellan w/ Lightning Claw, Storm Shield, and Frag Grenades. [106]
* Emperor's Champion w/ Black Sword, Bolt Pistol, Armor of Faith, and the Vow: "Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds." [140]
Elites:
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
Troops:
* Crusader Squad: 7 Initiates w/ 5 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades; 2 Neophytes w/ 2 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [214]
* Crusader Squad: 7 Initiates w/ 5 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades; 2 Neophytes w/ 2 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [214]
* Crusader Squad: 7 Initiates w/ 5 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades; 2 Neophytes w/ 2 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [214]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 CCWs and BPs, 1 Flamer & 1 Power Weapon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons. [186]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 CCWs and BPs, 1 Flamer & 1 Power Weapon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons. [186]
Fast Attack:
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
Total Points: [2000]
This list features much less long range firepower, but more more/larger troop squad sizes to compensate. Not only that, it is much more CC-oriented, so it will bring the fight to the enemy while my strong firepower platforms (i.e. Terminators/Land Speeders) are doing their job. The list also fairly mobile and can adapt to changing battlefields. Even still, I don't think I'm quite there yet. While I believe these troops will survive to the end of the game, the list feels a little "top-heavy" towards close combat. And as we all know, I don't think that is such a great idea. The two IC-led squads will be able to down most units, but the other three (especially the 3rd Crusader squad) troops aren't nearly as powerful. Makes me think that I can do it better and without the waste. Plus, I don't think I have anything in this list that can truly threaten the backfield of my opponent.
So, I want to take what is good in this list and make it better. I like the increased amount of troops, it gives me flexibility and more tactical options on the board. I also like that this list has the ability to put a functioning CC-unit on the board. These Crusader squads won't slaughter every unit, but they'll do the job. I think that my two Terminator squads and three Land Speeders are more than sufficient for most of my shooting needs, especially if the terrain stays the same. The Razorbacks and meltaguns are really icing on the cake. I also have a pretty mobile force, so I'd like to keep that intact.
I'm not sure the Razorbacks are needed, as it makes me want to move them around, but that keeps those units off my home objectives. Conflict of interest here! I also really don't feel like that 3rd Crusader squad is adding much to the CC-nature of the list, other than giving me redundancy. Plus, all of my Crusader squads still have to avoid enemy dedicated CC-units so I'm not sure that those large squad sizes are needed either. I still need that backfield threat as well.
Tweaking a few things, this is what I came up with:
HQ:
* Castellan w/ Lightning Claw, Storm Shield, Frag Grenades, and Counter-Attack; Command Squad w/ Fighting Company Champion, Apothecary w/ Bolt Pistol and CCW, 2 Initiates w/ Meltaguns, and Sergeant w/ Bolt Pistol and CCW. Squad is equipped with Frag Grenades and Counter-Attack. Mounted in Drop Pod. [294]
* Emperor's Champion w/ Black Sword, Bolt Pistol, Armor of Faith, and the Vow: "Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds." [140]
Elites:
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
Troops:
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [158]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [158]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Flamer, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [154]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Flamer, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [154]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. [101]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. [101]
Fast Attack:
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
Total Points: [2000]
Alright, pretty interesting right? This is definitely a hybrid list; I took almost everything beneficial in the Black Templars codex and put them into one list without it losing focus. We have MSU going in this list, which I found to be incredibly important at Nova Open. Even 5-man squads were difficult to kill off, so having six squads of five will be difficult to eliminate for my opponent. Because I have six troops units, I'm able to take advantage of the 4+2 system. Four units (which can only be described as "counter-assault") advance forward to claim/contest objectives. They also provide me with potentially dangerous CC-units, especially if they are combined into a single combat. Two of these units are armed with meltaguns, the other two with flamers for mob-control. Normally my Emperor's Champion will jump in with a meltagun squad, but if my opponent has LRs, I might consider putting him in with a flamer unit. That way I can sacrifice my melta units to stop those LR's advance. None of these units warrant extra attention, but they are dangerous enough to be a threat to my opponent. Nor does it particularly bother me if they die. The final two squads are my objective holders and are armed with Las/Plas, ideal for long range fire support. Because of the Castellan's improved LD 9, there is a lessened chance of falling back due to "Righteous Zeal" and I also have a better shot at beating "Kill Them All". However, these guys are on foot so they are vulnerable to both incoming fire and outflanking/infiltrating units. But because my Terminators will be close by, I don't think that will be such an issue, especially with "Accept Any Challenge".
We kept our fire support, as we wanted to, but lost the TL-Lascannons on the Razorbacks. However, we did make that up by adding two static Las/Plas units so its not such a huge loss. But the biggest change to this list, is the addition of the Command Squad. At first look, it kind of looks like an overpriced "rock" unit. To be honest, it is a bit of a points sink. However, it has a role to play in the list and it should perform well. This is the unit that will be threatening my opponent's backfield. Not only is it survivable due to FNP and the Castellan's Storm Shield, the unit has enough power weapons to do serious damage in CC. Because of counter-attack, the Command squad doesn't need to charge to stay at full effectiveness. This will make opponent's think twice about trying to simply charge the unit to kill them off. On top of all that, we have dual-melta in this unit. That gives us the ability to put a down excellent AT anywhere on the board its needed. Or you could simply blow up a transport sitting on an objective prior to charging it. The unit is given a Drop Pod, so it'll remain in reserve until later turns. This will cause your opponent to consistently worry about when/where its coming down.
The ability to tie-up and kill your opponent's backfield units is a huge bonus, but the real important role this unit plays is to contest objectives. While the Drop Pod itself may not be super durable due to its open-topped status, AV12 is decently durable. So this gives you two separate units in which to reliably contest an objective mid-late game. That is something that my previous lists did not have the ability to do. Likewise, this unit can be a good stop-gap for the middle objective. Not sure you'll be able to claim/contest one of your opponent's objectives or claim the center? Throw this unit down in on center objective and it will likely prevent your opponent from claiming it. Lots of options with this unit.
19 Kill Points in this list. 14 Missile Launchers (8 Tank-Hunters), 2 Lascannons, 4 Meltaguns, 2 Plasmaguns, 3 Heavy Bolters, and 2 Flamers. This should be enough firepower to bust open transports, as well as being sufficient for my anti-infantry needs when you add in my CC abilities.
So let's hear your opinions. I know you've not yet seen all of the battle reports, but you can kind of get an idea so far on what needs to change in my lists to improve based on the Nova Open format. Throw them at me and let's get the discussion going. :)
HQ:
* Emperor's Champion w/ Black Sword, Bolt Pistol, Armor of Faith, and the Vow: "Abhor the Witch, Destroy the Witch." [110]
Elites:
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
Troops:
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Searchlights. [192]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Searchlights. [192]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Searchlights. [192]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons and Searchlights. [192]
Fast Attack:
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
Heavy Support:
* Predator Destructor w/ Autocannon, Lascannon Side-Sponsons, and Searchlights. [126]
* Predator Destructor w/ Autocannon, Lascannon Side-Sponsons, and Searchlights. [126]
* Predator Destructor w/ Autocannon, Lascannon Side-Sponsons, and Searchlights. [126]
Total Points: [1996]
Its pretty obvious what this list does. The purpose and goal of the list is to shoot my opponent, pin them in their deployment zone, then pound them into submission while I move to control the objectives. In my games leading up to Nova Open, it did this very effectively and I had little difficulty against all of the different tournament lists out there. However, when I actually played in the GT, things were different. Some of this can be attributed to my lack of sleep/hunger (my fault), poor decision making on Day One, and more skilled opponents. But not all of it. Terrain definitely played a part in my success and lack of it. There were very few open field targets and almost everything I shot at had cover. This made it extremely difficult to destroy my opponent's transports and I didn't have enough firepower to dislodge my opponent from objectives (which were always in cover). I learned to play a game of cat and mouse with my opponent, picking targets with extreme care, and push for the mission goals right at the end of the game. It was unfortunate that I adapted too late in Day One to salvage a winning record for the tournament.
Later on in my games, I felt like my Crusader squads were never actually firing their weapons, but rather packed up in their transports to preserve them. These Razorbacks were typically moving around, trying to take advantage of cover to claim/contest objectives. Thus, my troops squads lasted quite a long time in almost every game. It was very rare for my opponent to kill more than two squads and their Razorbacks. Even still, I felt like only having four limited my options in games so I would like more of them. So in essence, my Crusader squads were not doing what they were meant to do in their games. Because of this, they need to be changed. Whether its how they're armed or what role they will play is yet up in the air.
The next thing that my list had an issue with was dedicated close combat units. I was somewhat able to mitigate the effectiveness of these units by movement blocking, but as I noted in Game Three, this wasn't always possible and it hurt me badly. Even throwing bubble-wrap units in the way didn't save me for long. The only units that could sort of perform in CC were the tactical Terminators, but only against non-dedicated CC units. But guess what? I only needed them against dedicated-CC units, as all of the other units were either too far away or I couldn't reach them due to all of the terrain. Plus, I really needed their firepower capabilities as they were the easiest to move around, position in optimal firing lanes, and provided the best kill ratio. So some sort of close combat could definitely be beneficial to a list, but only if it has the means to get from Point A to Point B quickly and reliably.
While I cannot say for sure yet (waiting on the lists from MVBrandt), I have a feeling that the players that did well were packing Land Raiders. In fact, across the whole tournament, it seemed that the Land Raider lists did better overall. Why? Because of the terrain! When you have pieces of terrain that could easily hide a LR, you're going to have difficulty killing it. It also had cover moving all the way across the board, so it'd likely deliver its cargo. Vulkan-led Space Marine lists did especially well with their Land Raiders, with several lists playing on the top tables. Does this mean I endorse the use of Land Raiders again? No, but its worth taking a look at.
Finally, I needed a way to dislodge units from objectives or, at the very least, threaten them in their backfield. Too many of my opponents hid their units behind BLOS terrain where I couldn't shoot them, nor could I reach them with my transports. Essentially, those units were guaranteed to live and claim their objective. While this could have worked the same for me, I needed my army shooting as much as possible. Because of that, my opponent almost always had LOS to my units. Fortunately, there were few times where this hurt me, but it very well could have. My inability to bring a "kill punch" to my enemy cost me games. I need to have something in my list that essentially guarantees something dies when I either shoot at it or charge with it. But it also needs to be durable. Even being able to simply contest those back objectives would have helped me, but I had nothing beyond my Land Speeders able to do such a thing (and they got targeted early).
Realistically, there were a few main things that need to be addressed in some fashion in my future lists. More mobility, improved troop durability/redundancy, an effective "kill punch", and the ability to mitigate dedicated CC-unit's effectiveness. I found that I didn't need as much shooting as I had to be effective, because much of it was negated anyway. My fire lanes were limited and I was only able to get a few units into position to do maximum damage. And no, "Kill Them All" didn't really affect me. I think I failed maybe two KTA tests all tournament. If I combine these elements into my future lists, I think I'll be in a better position to win. So let's take a look at what I had planned to run as my Nova Open 2012 list, should I choose to take the Black Templars:
HQ:
* Castellan w/ Lightning Claw, Storm Shield, and Frag Grenades. [106]
* Emperor's Champion w/ Black Sword, Bolt Pistol, Armor of Faith, and the Vow: "Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds." [140]
Elites:
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
Troops:
* Crusader Squad: 7 Initiates w/ 5 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades; 2 Neophytes w/ 2 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [214]
* Crusader Squad: 7 Initiates w/ 5 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades; 2 Neophytes w/ 2 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [214]
* Crusader Squad: 7 Initiates w/ 5 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades; 2 Neophytes w/ 2 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [214]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 CCWs and BPs, 1 Flamer & 1 Power Weapon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons. [186]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 CCWs and BPs, 1 Flamer & 1 Power Weapon. Mounted in a Razorback w/ Twin-Linked Lascannons. [186]
Fast Attack:
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
Total Points: [2000]
This list features much less long range firepower, but more more/larger troop squad sizes to compensate. Not only that, it is much more CC-oriented, so it will bring the fight to the enemy while my strong firepower platforms (i.e. Terminators/Land Speeders) are doing their job. The list also fairly mobile and can adapt to changing battlefields. Even still, I don't think I'm quite there yet. While I believe these troops will survive to the end of the game, the list feels a little "top-heavy" towards close combat. And as we all know, I don't think that is such a great idea. The two IC-led squads will be able to down most units, but the other three (especially the 3rd Crusader squad) troops aren't nearly as powerful. Makes me think that I can do it better and without the waste. Plus, I don't think I have anything in this list that can truly threaten the backfield of my opponent.
So, I want to take what is good in this list and make it better. I like the increased amount of troops, it gives me flexibility and more tactical options on the board. I also like that this list has the ability to put a functioning CC-unit on the board. These Crusader squads won't slaughter every unit, but they'll do the job. I think that my two Terminator squads and three Land Speeders are more than sufficient for most of my shooting needs, especially if the terrain stays the same. The Razorbacks and meltaguns are really icing on the cake. I also have a pretty mobile force, so I'd like to keep that intact.
I'm not sure the Razorbacks are needed, as it makes me want to move them around, but that keeps those units off my home objectives. Conflict of interest here! I also really don't feel like that 3rd Crusader squad is adding much to the CC-nature of the list, other than giving me redundancy. Plus, all of my Crusader squads still have to avoid enemy dedicated CC-units so I'm not sure that those large squad sizes are needed either. I still need that backfield threat as well.
Tweaking a few things, this is what I came up with:
HQ:
* Castellan w/ Lightning Claw, Storm Shield, Frag Grenades, and Counter-Attack; Command Squad w/ Fighting Company Champion, Apothecary w/ Bolt Pistol and CCW, 2 Initiates w/ Meltaguns, and Sergeant w/ Bolt Pistol and CCW. Squad is equipped with Frag Grenades and Counter-Attack. Mounted in Drop Pod. [294]
* Emperor's Champion w/ Black Sword, Bolt Pistol, Armor of Faith, and the Vow: "Accept Any Challenge, No Matter the Odds." [140]
Elites:
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
* Sword Brethren Terminators: 5 Terminators w/ 2 Cyclone Missile Launchers, 5 Storm Bolters, 5 Power Fists, and Tank-Hunters. [265]
Troops:
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [158]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Meltagun, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [158]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Flamer, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [154]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolt Pistols and Close Combat Weapons, 1 Flamer, 1 Bolt Pistol and Power Weapon & Frag Grenades. Mounted in a Rhino w/ Smoke Launchers. [154]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. [101]
* Crusader Squad: 5 Initiates w/ 3 Bolters, 1 Plasmagun & 1 Lascannon. [101]
Fast Attack:
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
* Land Speeder Squadron: 1 Land Speeder w/ 1 Heavy Bolter and 1 Typhoon Missile Launcher. [70]
Total Points: [2000]
Alright, pretty interesting right? This is definitely a hybrid list; I took almost everything beneficial in the Black Templars codex and put them into one list without it losing focus. We have MSU going in this list, which I found to be incredibly important at Nova Open. Even 5-man squads were difficult to kill off, so having six squads of five will be difficult to eliminate for my opponent. Because I have six troops units, I'm able to take advantage of the 4+2 system. Four units (which can only be described as "counter-assault") advance forward to claim/contest objectives. They also provide me with potentially dangerous CC-units, especially if they are combined into a single combat. Two of these units are armed with meltaguns, the other two with flamers for mob-control. Normally my Emperor's Champion will jump in with a meltagun squad, but if my opponent has LRs, I might consider putting him in with a flamer unit. That way I can sacrifice my melta units to stop those LR's advance. None of these units warrant extra attention, but they are dangerous enough to be a threat to my opponent. Nor does it particularly bother me if they die. The final two squads are my objective holders and are armed with Las/Plas, ideal for long range fire support. Because of the Castellan's improved LD 9, there is a lessened chance of falling back due to "Righteous Zeal" and I also have a better shot at beating "Kill Them All". However, these guys are on foot so they are vulnerable to both incoming fire and outflanking/infiltrating units. But because my Terminators will be close by, I don't think that will be such an issue, especially with "Accept Any Challenge".
We kept our fire support, as we wanted to, but lost the TL-Lascannons on the Razorbacks. However, we did make that up by adding two static Las/Plas units so its not such a huge loss. But the biggest change to this list, is the addition of the Command Squad. At first look, it kind of looks like an overpriced "rock" unit. To be honest, it is a bit of a points sink. However, it has a role to play in the list and it should perform well. This is the unit that will be threatening my opponent's backfield. Not only is it survivable due to FNP and the Castellan's Storm Shield, the unit has enough power weapons to do serious damage in CC. Because of counter-attack, the Command squad doesn't need to charge to stay at full effectiveness. This will make opponent's think twice about trying to simply charge the unit to kill them off. On top of all that, we have dual-melta in this unit. That gives us the ability to put a down excellent AT anywhere on the board its needed. Or you could simply blow up a transport sitting on an objective prior to charging it. The unit is given a Drop Pod, so it'll remain in reserve until later turns. This will cause your opponent to consistently worry about when/where its coming down.
The ability to tie-up and kill your opponent's backfield units is a huge bonus, but the real important role this unit plays is to contest objectives. While the Drop Pod itself may not be super durable due to its open-topped status, AV12 is decently durable. So this gives you two separate units in which to reliably contest an objective mid-late game. That is something that my previous lists did not have the ability to do. Likewise, this unit can be a good stop-gap for the middle objective. Not sure you'll be able to claim/contest one of your opponent's objectives or claim the center? Throw this unit down in on center objective and it will likely prevent your opponent from claiming it. Lots of options with this unit.
19 Kill Points in this list. 14 Missile Launchers (8 Tank-Hunters), 2 Lascannons, 4 Meltaguns, 2 Plasmaguns, 3 Heavy Bolters, and 2 Flamers. This should be enough firepower to bust open transports, as well as being sufficient for my anti-infantry needs when you add in my CC abilities.
So let's hear your opinions. I know you've not yet seen all of the battle reports, but you can kind of get an idea so far on what needs to change in my lists to improve based on the Nova Open format. Throw them at me and let's get the discussion going. :)
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