I'm gonna give the basic outline at 2000 points and explain some of the insights I've learned with it as I have played. Depending on how things work out with Grey Knights or other rules changes, this is starting to look like the army i will be taking to NOVA. I think it is awesome that this army is capable of high level competition thanks to the updates.
Click through for the list and analysis:
HQ: [1]
130 Belial
- Lightning Claws
Elite: [1]
85 [OM] Inquisitor
- Terminator Armor
- Psycannon
- Power Weapon
Troops: [5]
290 Deathwing Command Squad
- 5x TH/SS
- Apothecary
- Standard Bearer
- Cyclone Missile Launcher
240 Deathwing Squad
- 1 Sergeant
- 1 PF/SB
- 1 CF/SB
- 1 TH/SS
- 1 TH/SS/CML
240 Deathwing Squad
- 1 Sergeant
- 1 PF/SB
- 1 CF/SB
- 1 TH/SS
- 1 TH/SS/CML
240 Deathwing Squad
- 1 Sergeant
- 1 PF/SB
- 1 CF/SB
- 1 TH/SS
- 1 TH/SS/CML
240 Deathwing Squad
- 1 Sergeant
- 1 PF/SB
- 1 CF/SB
- 1 TH/SS
- 1 TH/SS/CML
Heavy Support: [3]
170 Devastator Squad
- 4 Missile Launchers
170 Devastator Squad
- 4 Missile Launchers
195 Devastator Squad
- 3 Lascannons
Total: 2000 points
Analysis:
If you are familiar with how Loganwing runs, much of this will be familiar with you already. This list runs almost identical, except that your troops are a bit more eager to meet the opponent in assault, especially to boost their speed through the assault and consolidation moves.
Before we get into the core of the army too much I want to point out the allied Inquisitor from Daemonhunters. This model is being used as a points filler, as the army had a whopping 50 points left over after I got it where I wanted. I decided to drop a single lascannon to grab the points for this guy as he makes one of the squads that much more durable in shooting. He is basically 2 extra wounds for a single squad, and is priced appropriately. I know I likely won't have him around at NOVA, so feedback and suggestions for replacement on the points filler would be appreciated. Make sure you take the following information into account when recommending stuff!
At the core, this army has 3 primary components. First we have the foot slogging core of four Deathwing squads. Each member is uniquely equipped to take full advantage of the wound allocation rules. the presence of two storm shield models gives the unit a big boost to staying power without limiting their anti-infantry firepower too greatly. These guns will be important for removing gaunt screens, kroot bubbles, guard screens, and the like. Playtesting has shown so far that 2 storm shields is enough, but just barely for close combat durability. We will see if this holds true in the tournaments later this month that this list will be featuring in.
Second, we have the static firebase. Many have questioned the placement of devastator squads in this list, primarily due to the expensive weapon costs in the Dark Angels codex. Please note that there are no other methods of obtaining this same weapon saturation in DA without paying more points or sacrificing durability.
The infantry nature of the devastator squad and their great ranged potential puts them on the same threat level as the terminators against most enemy units. While your army is not in assault range, these guys are likely to be a priority for the enemy (especially if his priority is accurate). Typhoons would have this same priority, but would not have the durability of ablative wounds and armor/cover saves readily available. As the game draws on and your terminators close in on the objectives and their prey, devastators will receive less firepower and will be much more effective against the opponents weakened forces.
The third component to the army is the proverbial (and literal) Hammer unit. The command squad is kit out to beat the crap out of stuff in close combat and look awesome doing it. Furthermore, there are 4 distinct weapon configurations in the unit, so wound allocation is still top-notch. This unit is almost always placed in reserves for deep strike to give the opponent some serious issues for movement and deployment.
The goal for this unit is to drop down on a flank or near a weakened position and get in the opponent's face early. You don't need to be extremely aggressive with your deep strike placement, as the cyclone will provide decent threat. What this unit will do, however is draw attention away from your devastators and the other deathwing squads.
It is not uncommon for this unit to receive the bulk or entirety of the enemy's shooting, especially with a great deep strike positioning. It is this reason that i typically put the Inquisitor into this squad. This gives the unit 10 wounds with 2+ armor and Feel No Pain. Deathwing Assault extends the first-turn benefit to ANY independet characters in terminator armor attached to the unit, and when taking shooting wounds, majority toughness will be available, so our friendly inquisitor is perfect for boosting ranged durability. He also increases the ranged threat for the unit with his psycannon to make for a better distraction.
Mobility is still the army's weakness, but relentless troops that don't rely on cover help make up for that a ton. this is especially true when their guns reach out 48 inches. Make sure to pay attention to mission objectives from turn 1. If you need to hold a position, get there and force the opponent to come to you. Believe me, he'll have a hard time dislodging 27 terminators.
overall this list succeeds by surviving. It has great firepower, but is not the best in the competitive scene. It does, however have better survival than those lists, and as such will have more firepower to bring to bear later in the game. What this means is that as the game progresses, the army gets stronger and units seem to be more effective. When you take the lead in tempo, it is going to be very hard for your opponent to recover, as he will likely have a hard time making a dent in your defenses.
I have found that even when the terminator squads get hit hard and take some big casualties, they still manage to deal out crippling blows to the units they faced off. This lets the other squads clean up either at range or in combat in the following phases with little trouble.
You still need to pay MASSIVE attention to deployment, movement, and fire lanes and act accordingly. The list does not just "play itself" despite having a clear goal for almost every unit. Being able to adapt to the opponents list and the threats that appear as they happen is a skill of the general and not the list. This is a very strong list to be sure, and i expect it to gain some popularity, but always remember it needs a good general to run properly.
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