Let’s Talk Dark Angels
Here’s my first new Dark Angel army list. I’ll go over each of the sections of the army and cover some of the new rules (and tactics).
Belial, Master of the Deathwing
– Twin Lightning Claws
– Rites of Battle, Fearless
(Note: Belial can be upgraded from MC Power Weapon and Storm Bolter to Twin Lightning Claws or Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield for free. Very nice option, but I suspect you’ll only see him with TLCs.)
130pts
Librarian (Terminator Armor)
– Storm Bolter, Force Weapon, Psychic Hood
– Force Barrier, Hellfire
(Note: Only the LD9 Librarian is an option for Dark Angels, besides Ezekial. But he comes with both psychic powers built-in. This makes psychic powers a lot more dangerous and psychic hoods a lot less effective.)
145pts
Deathwing Terminator Squad (5 Terminators)
– 3 Twin Lightning Claws
– Sergeant w/ Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield (Standard Bearer)
– Assault Cannon (Apothecary)
(Note: The Sergeant can be upgraded with Twin Lighting Claws or Thunder Hammer and Storm Shield for free. Also thanks to Belial any Terminator may be upgraded to a Standard Bearer or Apothecary, so I’ve upgraded my Assault Cannon Terminator and Sergeant.)
300pts
Notes: This single Terminator squad soaks up 575 points. That’s a lot and would normally leave a Space Marine army with too few scoring unit to be competitive, but thanks to Combat Squads I’ll manage a total of 13 scoring units. This unit has a lot of the new options that I want to try out, including:
– Deathwing Assault (half of your Deathwing Terminator squads, rounded UP!, deep strike on your first turn);
– The new Librarian psychic powers Force Barrier (acts as passing an Invulnerable save if the Librarian passes a psychic test) and Hellfire (a S2d6-2, APd6 template);
– Terminator Standard Bearer (gives all models in a unit +1A) and Terminator Apothecary.
Tactical Squad (10 Marines)
– Sergeant w/ Power Fist
– Lascannon, Plasma Gun
– Rhino
260pts
Tactical Squad (10 Marines)
– Sgt w/ Power Fist
– Lascannon, Plasma Gun
– Rhino
260pts
Devastator Squad (10 Marines)
– 4 Missile Launchers
245pts
Devastator Squad (10 Marines)
– 2 Heavy Bolters
– 2 Plasma Cannons
245pts
Notes: Using the Combat Squads rule, each of these squads will break into two 5-man squads. The Tactical squads break into Sergeant, Plasma Gun, and 3 Marines transported in the Rhino while the Lascannon and 4 Marines deploy in a firing position. Similarly, the Devastators break into 5-man squads so their special weapons can target different enemy units. Each of these units is considered a separate scoring unit worth half of the original unit cost.
Predator Destructor
– Autocannon, HB Sponsons
95pts
– Sgt w/ Power Fist
– 2 Meltaguns
– Attack Bike (Multimelta)
315pts
Tactics: I plan to use a classic Refused Flank stategy with the army. The static pieces (Devastator squads and Heavy Weapon Combat Squads) deploy centrally in areas of terrain for a wide field of fire. My opponent places his army in response to mine. The Ravenwing Attack Squadron deploys last to create my flank.
The Ravenwing Attack Squadron then makes free move (Scouts rule) to extend the flank using terrain to limit return fire. Then on my first turn, I Deep Strike my Terminators thanks to Deathwing Assault six inches in front of the lead bike. With care, this will lead to a Turn 2 assault.
I concentrate my Heavy Weapons on transports and fast vehicles to limit my opponent’s ability to react to my flanking maneuver. My Attack Squadron and Terminator push the flank with by shooting and, if possible, an assault with my Bikes. This has the beneficial side effect of blocking line of sight to my Terminators. Then on my next turn the Assault Terminators join the assault.
At least that’s the plan. If you have any thoughts or questions, please leave them as comments on this post.
