Greetings
fellow wargamers,
Today’s post is dedicated to the beloved Sons
of the Warp, the Chaos Space Marines and their position in the “ food chain” of
the current meta.
Being the
first “pure” 6th ed. Codex, Chaos boys heralded the start of a new codex format which was supposed to
be balanced and make every unit in the book viable. Kind of…
It is an undeniable fact that 80% of the units
that are included in the Chaos Space Marines codex should be avoided in any competitive army list. Having said that, let’s take a
look at those few units that are decent enough to be taken into consideration.
HQ
A rather
uninteresting section of the book, most Chaos players should prefer the
cheapest possible solution to fill that compulsory HQ slot. A naked Lord or
Sorcerer ,hidden in a blob of Cultists is the standard option for most chaos
lists.
Alternatively,
it is possible to upgrade said Lord/Sorcerer with all sorts of weapons and
equipment , then attach them in units of
Chaos Bikers or Terminators ( see below) . It all
depends on the army list and the purpose of the HQ.
As far as
Special Characters are concerned, I would suggest to avoid them completely, as almost all of them offer little to compensate
for their immense points cost and they give few or none army- wide buffs. Even if some of them make horrifying
beatsticks, they are simply not worth it,
as a nicely armed plain Lord can perform as well for half the price.
ELITES
The only unit
that is worth considering from the Elite slot is the Chaos Terminator squad. Compared
to their loyal counterparts, the Chaos termies are both cheaper and more
versatile. In the past, these guys were used
as suicide units armed with combi- weapons. They can still perform this
roll nicely and this is actually remains the most common way in which they are
used. I would suggest taking a small
squad of terminators as distraction unit if there are leftover points that can be
invested.
On the other hand, as I mentioned above, the
Terminator unit can be further empowered with the addition of an HQ character ( mostly Sorcerer) in terminator
armor for some decent shooting support with combi-weapons etc.
TROOPS
The Chaos
army has access to some rather nice troop options that offer both flexibility
and adequate damage output.
Cultists: by far the most common troop choice these
days, cultists are dirt cheap and can fill the compulsory troop options for a
mere 100 points. They have almost 0 damage output, 0 survivability outside of
cover, but are otherwise decent for their cost. Their sole purpose is to claim
objectives and thankfully they can do that very well.
For the
most part, cultists are more than enough to cover the needs for Troop
units. Regular Chaos Space marines are
certainly to be avoided simply because they are outclassed by those humble
cultists.
On the other hand, the codex provides access
to another 4 units of troops: Khorne Berzekers, Thousand Sons, Noise Mariners,
Plaguemarines. Although these guys are normally an Elite option, it is
non-negotiable that they should never be taken as Elites. The only way that
these guys become viable is via marked HQ’s ( with the appropriate deity’s
symbol), as a Troop choice instead. This is why I am mentioning them in the Troops
section.
Khorne Berzekers and Thousand Sons are
definitely bad options and have no place in competitive environment. On the
other hand, Plaguemarines and Noise
marines, although they are both considered “ outsiders”, can perform well in
most lists.
Plaguemarines are rather expensive, starting
at 24pts each, but their cost is arguably justified by their T5, FNP, Fearless
and defensive grenades, all of which make those sick bastards quite obnoxious
for the opponent. Still, they are armed with bolters, for what that’s worth,
but can take up to two special weapons per 5 guys, which is OK. Taking into consideration the fact that the
amount of weapons that ignore cover is
on the rise, perhaps Chaos players should rethink their lists and make some
space for a few Plaguemarine squads.
Noise
marines were considered to be garbage, until the FAQ gave them 2 Blastmasters
per 10 models. Now, for 240 points you
can get 10 marines with 2 str8 ap3 Blast weapons with the Ignores Cover special
rule, and although the point cost is definitely non-negligible, Noise marines can perform well as objective
holders while dishing out some serious damage from a safe distance.
FAST ATTACK
When people
talk about the Chaos Space Marine codex, the main subject of discussion is
almost always the same: Helldrake.
I believe there is no need to explain why the
Helldrake is considered the best flyer
ever made, and possibly one of the best units to hit the tables. This
mighty mechanical dragon would certainly bring tears of joy in the eyes of the
Chaos gods themselves, and for the opponents of the Ruinous powers there is without
a doubt, no other instrument that can
convey the sheer terror and butthurt
that is synonymous with the Denizens of the Warp..
Having said that, it is an undeniable fact that
those 3 Elite slots , more often than not, are dedicated exclusively for the accommodation
of Helldrakes. For all and any
competitive purposes , any Chaos list
should begin with the addition of at least 2 of these wicked monstrosities.
From that point on, the list can be tailored to match the desires and needs of
the player.
Despite the fact that the Helldrake is the sole
unit that still keeps the Chaos engine
alive, his effectiveness has diminished over time. Certainly, it will still
perform excellent and all that, but the metagame is ever changing, and with all
this bombardment of new releases that we experienced this year, the Helldrake
has indeed lost some of his glory.
For
example, against the most recent threats, like Tau, who has a bunch of
Interceptor weapons, and plenty of bodies with 2+ save, or Eldar, who spam AV12
vehicles and T8 MCs, Helldrakes are not
as effective as they used to be previously, when everybody used Aegis Defence
lines and blobs of Troops. Furthermore, people realized that the paranoia that
followed the release of the Helldrake was nothing more than a hype, and that
the damage caused by the dragon can be easily reduced simply by spreading out
your troops, keeping a safe distance from the opponent’s table edge or simply
making changes in their army lists and try to play around it.
So, where were we? Oh, yes, FA slots! Except
the dragon, there are other interesting options that I should mention.
Chaos
Bikers and Chaos Spawns are the alternative units that can be taken, if the
Helldrake is not your thing. I am making a single paragraph about both units,
because they are both used in the same manner: fast, durable melee specialists.
Bikers and Spawns need Lords on bikes ( or
Juggernauts ) to accompany them. Probably the best option is to use a Nurgle
lord on Bike, with a chaotic artefact of your choice,
alongside a large squad of bikers/ spawns with the same mark.
I believe that bikers are somewhat better that
spawns, because they don’t rely as much on the joined HQ. Spawns have no armour
save and they need a sponge-character to absorb incoming damage. In melee they
are quite decent though and their 3
wounds can make them rather resilient against anything but massed shooting.
Bikers, on the other hand have the
characteristic reliability of the Space marine, some shooting potential, access
to special and melee weapons etc etc.
In the
end, both units are perfectly viable,
although personally I would choose the Chaos Spawns, simply because they make
better use of the attached character, and their Fleet special rule, which can
make all the difference in certain situations.
Heavy support
Obliterators: The second-best
unit in the book, Oblis have been a common sight in Chaos Space marine armies
for a long time and despite the changes in the metagame and a small hit from
the nerfbat, they retain their potential as flexible shooting platforms. They
should be included in most chaos lists as they are probably the best heavy
support option available in the codex.
Forgefiend: This is a personal favorite of mine, a unit that I suggest
every time I happen to chat about Chaos army lists. I believe that Forgefiends
are one of the most underestimated units, and here’s why:
Sure, they are expensive to field. 175 points for an AV12 Walker
certainly seems like a bad deal and it only gets worse when you notice that
BS3, but he has 8 str8 ap4 shots at 48”, 5++
and the Daemonforge rule.
It seems that Forgefiends are
ideal candidates for prescience...and it just so happens that Chaos Space
Marines can ally with Daemons and get access to Heralds of Tzeench. That’s all
I am suggesting, perhaps I am wrong and that combo simply isn’t worth it. I still need to test it out, but I think it
can make a decent option.
Maulerfiend: The melee-oriented cousin of the Forgefiend is quite
cheaper and has 12” movement, which make it a great option for dedicated
assault Chaos lists. It’s not great, but can perform well in lists that are
built around it.
Conclusion:
The Codex: Chaos Space Marine still makes viable and competitive army
lists, despite the fact that it had the misfortune of being the 1st
6th ed Codex, in an
ever-changing environment where new
threats are presented with each new release , can still perform very well.
In this article I only wrote
about those units of the codex that I consider the best, but that does not
necessarily mean that the rest of the Codex is terrible. In any case, I hope
you enjoyed this 1st part of the Chaos Space Marine tactica. More to
follow…
Stefanos Kapetanakis, out.
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