My favorite part of Warhammer 40k has always been planning out lists and thinking through strategies. I have been trying to get a final list for my Dark Angels in preparation for the tournament. After some thought, I've decided to not make an ultra-competitive list, and instead use the momentum to paint up my collection and field a beautiful and diverse list that will function well for regular week-to-week play. I created three rules for myself and went about creating a list that meets them.
Rules:
1. The list must be highlander style (max 1 of each unit type until all other options in that category have been taken).
2. The list is diverse, representing several different areas of a Dark Angels collection.
3. The list can easily be broken down into a 1500 point and a 1000 point army.
Each rule has a thought process behind it. The first and second rules are to keep the list both interesting to look at and to play. I am a slow painter, and if I spend my time painting up an ultra-competitive list that spams one type of unit, something else will be better by the time I finish it. I rarely sell any of my models, and I would like to build a collection that I am proud of. Playing a highlander style that represents many different areas of the Dark Angels gives me lots of different models to play with, and looks visually appealing on the table. The last rule is for convenience sake. I want to be able to set up my army transportation to pack up the entire 2000 point list, and show up to the game store ready for whatever might happen, no matter who my opponent is and what point level we play at.
I've been a long term listener to Wargamer Fritz, and I enjoy building lists based around his Attack-Support-Defense principle. I'm going to break down my list into each of these categories.
I've been a long term listener to Wargamer Fritz, and I enjoy building lists based around his Attack-Support-Defense principle. I'm going to break down my list into each of these categories.
Attack:
Units that fall into the Attack category have one purpose: absorb enemy firepower and cause as much destruction as they can before being removed from the board. I have two units in this list that fall into this category. One is a five man squad of Deathwing Knights in a Land Raider Crusader, and the other is an Imperial Knight Errant. These are deployed as far forward and center as possible, and try to charge down the board taking down priority targets and drawing the opponent's attention. The Imperial Knight is geared to take down big targets, and is my best source of anti-vehicle in my list. The Deathwing Knights can be successful against most targets, with the exclusion of hordes of infantry. Luckily, the Land Raider Crusader is excellent for clearing these hordes, and should at the very least get the Knights up to charging range before it is destroyed. These two Attack groups should be a formidable target in any game, forcing the opponent to dedicate most of their firepower to them for the first few turns. These units are comprised of 1083 points of my list.
Support:
The support category is filled by units that can fill a variety of roles, and help to make the Attack and Defense units more successful. This includes softening up targets before the Attack units hit, intercept units sent to destroy my Defense units, and provide general firepower. My Support units in this list are five Primaris Hellblasters and ten Primaris Intercessors, supported by Azrael, a Primaris Lieutenant, and a Primaris Ancient. This group forms a "castle" formation in the center of the table, forming a 30" threat bubble of fire support. This group can put out a decent amount of firepower, especially the Hellblasters using the "Weapons from the Dark Age" strategem. The HQ choices allow all hits and wound results of 1 to be rerolled, helping this castle to be more reliable. They are also difficult to take out due to Azrael's 4++ invulnerable save bubble, and the Ancient's ability to allow a model to have a chance to fire or attack one last time before being removed. This castle should be a reliable anchor in any game, and is worth 670 points in my list.
Defense:
Most game types involve objectives, so a good list includes units dedicated to securing and defending objectives. That is the purpose of the Defense section of my list. Although other units in the other categories may also be involved in grabbing objectives, especially the Intercessors, the Defense section is entirely dedicated to this role. The two units I have in this role is a five man squad of Scouts with Bolters and a Heavy Bolter, and a five man Tactical Squad with a plasma gun and combi-plasma in a Razorback with a Storm Bolter and Twin-Heavy Bolter. These units are deployed with the sole intent of grabbing objectives. They each have different strengths. The Scouts can deploy anywhere on the table outside of the enemy deployment zone, and more than 9" away from any enemy models, allowing them to be set up on midfield objectives. Otherwise, they are a cheap squad to keep in my deployment zone holding home objectives. The Tactical Squad has the benefit of being much more mobile and protected with the Razorback, and has some strong firepower with the two plasma guns for clearing small enemy squads off objectives. While both of these squads could be quickly taken out, the goal is that most of the enemy's attention is focused on my Attack units, and by the time those units are dealt with, most of his long range firepower and other tools for stopping my defense units have been destroyed. All this time, my Defense units have been comparatively unhindered in their ability to grab objectives. This section of my list is worth 247 points.
Caliban's Fist 2000 Points
Battalion Detachment
HQ:- Azrael (180 points)
- Primaris Lieutenant (74 points)
- Bolt Pistol and Heavenfall Blade
Troops:
- Intercessor Squad (182 points)
- 10 man squad with Bolt Rifles, 2x Auxiliary Grenade Launchers
- Scout Squad (65 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolters, Heavy Bolter
- Tactical Squad (93 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolters, Plasma Gun, Sergeant with Combi-Plasma Gun
Elites
- Deathwing Knights (255 points)
- 5 man squad with Watcher in the Dark
- Primaris Ancient (69 points)
Heavy Support
- Hellblaster squad (165 points)
- 5 man squad with Plasma Incinerators
- Land Raider Crusader (335 points)
- Multi-melta
Dedicated Transport
- Razorback (89 points)
- Storm Bolter, Twin Heavy Bolter
Super-Heavy Auxiliary Detachment
Lord of War
- Imperial Knight Errant (493 points)
- Stormspear Rocket Pod, Meltagun, Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Thermal Cannon, Titanic Feet
Caliban's Fist 1500 Points
In short, this list drops the Imperial Knight Errant and some upgrades (Watcher in the Dark on the Deathwing Knights and the Storm Bolter on the Razorback) to reach 1500 points
Battalion Detachment
HQ:
- Azrael (180 points)
- Primaris Lieutenant (74 points)
- Bolt Pistol and Heavenfall Blade
Troops:
- Intercessor Squad (182 points)
- 10 man squad with Bolt Rifles, 2x Auxiliary Grenade Launchers
- Scout Squad (65 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolters, Heavy Bolter
- Tactical Squad (93 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolters, Plasma Gun, Sergeant with Combi-Plasma Gun
Elites
- Deathwing Knights (250 points)
- 5 man squad
- Primaris Ancient (69 points)
Heavy Support
- Hellblaster squad (165 points)
- 5 man squad with Plasma Incinerators
- Land Raider Crusader (335 points)
- Multi-melta
Dedicated Transport
- Razorback (87 points)
- Twin Heavy Bolter
- Azrael (180 points)
- Primaris Lieutenant (74 points)
- Bolt Pistol and Heavenfall Blade
Troops:
- Intercessor Squad (182 points)
- 10 man squad with Bolt Rifles, 2x Auxiliary Grenade Launchers
- Scout Squad (65 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolters, Heavy Bolter
- Tactical Squad (93 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolters, Plasma Gun, Sergeant with Combi-Plasma Gun
Elites
- Deathwing Knights (250 points)
- 5 man squad
- Primaris Ancient (69 points)
Heavy Support
- Hellblaster squad (165 points)
- 5 man squad with Plasma Incinerators
- Land Raider Crusader (335 points)
- Multi-melta
Dedicated Transport
- Razorback (87 points)
- Twin Heavy Bolter
Caliban's Fist 1000 Points
In short, this list reforms its structure by dropping the castle of Hellblasters and Ancient, reduces down to one Attack category by dropping the Land Raider Crusader and Deathwing Knights, and thins the Defense category by dropping the Tactical Squad and the Razorback. The Intercessor squad breaks into two squads, and they form a new smaller castle with Azrael and Lieutenant fulfilling the Support role. The Scouts are still a dedicated Defense unit.
Battalion Detachment
HQ:
- Azrael (180 points)
- Primaris Lieutenant (74 points)
- Bolt Pistol and Heavenfall Blade
Troops:
- Intercessor Squad (91 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolt Rifles, Auxiliary Grenade Launcher
- Intercessor Squad (91 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolt Rifles, Auxiliary Grenade Launcher
- Scout Squad (65 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolters, Heavy Bolter
- Azrael (180 points)
- Primaris Lieutenant (74 points)
- Bolt Pistol and Heavenfall Blade
Troops:
- Intercessor Squad (91 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolt Rifles, Auxiliary Grenade Launcher
- Intercessor Squad (91 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolt Rifles, Auxiliary Grenade Launcher
- Scout Squad (65 points)
- 5 man squad with Bolters, Heavy Bolter
Super-Heavy Auxiliary Detachment
Lord of War
- Imperial Knight Errant (493 points)
- Stormspear Rocket Pod, Meltagun, Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Thermal Cannon, Titanic Feet
These lists have all gone through many revisions, and will undoubtedly go through many more. As it is now, I am very excited about it and can't wait to do some playtesting. Expect more posts soon about my painting progress as the list inches toward completion!
Lord of War
- Imperial Knight Errant (493 points)
- Stormspear Rocket Pod, Meltagun, Thunderstrike Gauntlet, Thermal Cannon, Titanic Feet
These lists have all gone through many revisions, and will undoubtedly go through many more. As it is now, I am very excited about it and can't wait to do some playtesting. Expect more posts soon about my painting progress as the list inches toward completion!
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