5th Ed SW Tactical Analysis

[sanem]

Hi guys, I've been out of the game for a year now, and am looking into shaping my leftover models into a decent Space Wolves army.

I'll give a short analysis of how I see the new Codex, specificly for the models I have (which means no Rhino-related vehicles).

I'm playing a first 1000 points game next week, against either Marines, Deathwing or Orks, I'll keep those in mind while writing.

 

 

HQ

 

Rune Priest:

He'll provide cover and fire support for my army.

I'll either be advancing against shooty armies, or hiding in cover against assault armies.

In the first case my Priest will be Running with my units on foot, often in the open, which makes Storm Caller a no-brainer.

In the second case I'd consider Lightning or Jaws. Lightning gives some decent fire support against medium armour. But Jaws has a large potential and fear-factor, which would make it my first choice.

I'd give him Terminator armour, since all my models have it, and the 2+/5++ really boosts his survivability at just 20 points.

 

Wolf Priest:

I'd keep this one naked and put him with Blood Claws, either a large pack on foot, or Skyclaws. More on them below.

The idea being that his rules are more useful on large/fast units, rather than my slow Grey Hunters who’ll get thinned out by the time they reach combat.

 

Lord/Battle Leader:

I'm not a big fan of these expensive "dumb" fighters, I prefer numbers combined with the Priests' benefits.

I do like the idea of sending a Battle Leader flanking with a full pack of Scouts, that'd be scary! ;)

 

 

ELITES

 

A tricky one, because you have a lot of interesting choice, and only so many slots.

 

Wolf Guard:

As you'll see for my Troop choices, Wolf Guard are a mandatory for me as pack leaders. They seem less interesting as a unit, except maybe as a cheap Terminator squad (since I'm spending the slot anyway, might as well make most of it). Advancing behind my Grey Hunters, they would make an interestingly tough fire magnet.

Question, if you put all Wolf Guard in other packs, do you still lose the Elite slot?

 

Scouts:

Oh my. Basicly a pack of Grey Hunters that can appear behind the enemy lines. Depending on the points fielded I'll either make them a small unit for anti-Devestator and -tank purpose, or a large unit, possibly with Battle Leader, to really mess up the entire enemy line. MotW seems like a no-brainer.

 

Dreadnoughts:

I have three metal ones laying around, two with plasma cannons. I fear I'll only ever field two, one as Bjorn. They'd advance behind my Grey Hunters screen, soaking up heavy weapons. On the defensive they'd do excellent as a fire base and counter-attack unit.

 

Lone Wolves:

Now these guys are really juicy! Basicly a 2A Battle Leader with FNP. I'd give him Terminator armour, and hide him behind my lines so he'll get a 2+/4++/4+++ save. Or keep him in front of my lines, racing for the enemy line, and hopefully tying up a unit or diverting some heavy weapons fire. At 45 points he'll take a lot of punishment, will last long enough in combat against most units, and can also defeat the average Terminator.

 

 

TROOPS

 

Grey Hunters:

 

I tend to field these in large numbers, as I love to have lots of rank-and-file. I'm talking 40+ in 1000 points, all on foot.

 

Since I'm on foot, I can get 10 per pack, plus a Wolf Guard, which is dirt cheap for the punch and Ld.

I give the Wolf Guard Terminator armour and a power fist, as this costs as much as a naked power fist, and keeps him alive. He'll keep the Grey Hunters from making Sweeping Advances, but I figure that's acceptable.

I won't give my GHs a power weapon/fist, I believe those points are better used on the WG.

Those Wolf Standards also seem very juicy, and I love the idea of making them :(. It took me a moment before realising it also applies to movement, armour saves, WG and ICs... which is great!

 

Alternatively, I'll take a pack or two of 5 Grey Hunters with plasma guns, in case I need to babysit an objective or want to push a flank.

On the defensive I'd consider giving these guys a Wolf Guard with Terminator armour and Cyclone Missile launcher for 63 points.

This way I have a unit that can give good fire support, even while moving, and hold its own when attacked.

 

Blood Claws:

 

Most Wolf Lords seem to agree that Grey Hunters are a much wiser choice over Blood Claws. I might however see use for a min or maxed out pack.

 

A pack of 15 with WG, Wolf Priest and power fist would make a scary mob of fearless berzerkers. They can distract enemy fire and assaults away from the rest of the army, without the risk of breaking, and taking down anything they meet with hidden power fists. At any rate they'd make a great moving screen when combined with Storm Caller.

 

Alternatively a small squad of 5 could advance behind my Grey Hunter packs, counter-attacking anything that charges the GHs. Or they can hang back and guard objectives, or provide fire support with a heavy weapon WG.

 

 

FAST ATTACK

 

Land Speeders:

These seem like the usual excellent choice. I'd go with a melta and heavy flamer for tank/mob hunting, while my packs divert the enemy fire power. A Typhoon missile launcher hanging back seems a bit fragile, but worth the conversion.

 

Swiftclaw bikers:

These aren't really my thing, altough I have loads of bikes. A small unit would seem interesting to divert enemy fire, threaten a flank, or tie up a shooty unit for a turn. Their speed would really help my footslugging units. A shame attack bikes aren't a seperate choice, I've got 10 or so of those.

 

Skyclaws:

These I like: for the price of a Rhino, you get the speed of one, and superior mobility. They'd advance behind my Grey Hunters, ready to jump over them and assault the enemy lines. A Wolf Priest seems necessary, but a good fit, as this would be a mobile unit with 40 rerollable attacks on the charge, including a power fist and a MotW, plus the Priest. Being fearless, they'll also hold until the GHs arrive.

 

 

HEAVY SUPPORT

 

Since I sold all my vehicles, I'm left with my 13 heavy weapons, so I'm definitly interested in them Long Fangs (although I do miss my Vindicator, and my Whirlwind!).

 

Long Fangs:

These are pretty cheap, and with all my Grey Hunters advancing, there's a good chance the enemy won't shoot them all too much.

Pack size and weapons layout would depend on points played. They will however be my main anti-tank unit, and I just love those plasma cannons ;).

A Wolf Guard pack leader seems like a really good idea, adding a cheap extra wound and 3/4 extra attacks, without any upgrades!

[Archnomad]

Hey mate, just got a few wee bones to pick out, otherwise it's a fairly good summary of how our units perform, and what they do.

 

 

Lord/Battle Leader:

I'm not a big fan of these expensive "dumb" fighters, I prefer numbers combined with the Priests' benefits.

I do like the idea of sending a Battle Leader flanking with a full pack of Scouts, that'd be scary! ;)

 

Don't rule these guys out. They add more punch than either of the other characters, and are damn terrifying on a Thunderwolf (for a giggle I ran 4xWolf Lords on Wolves, and then rolled KPs. I was a happy wolf that day...)

 

 

Wolf Guard:

As you'll see for my Troop choices, Wolf Guard are a mandatory for me as pack leaders. They seem less interesting as a unit, except maybe as a cheap Terminator squad (since I'm spending the slot anyway, might as well make most of it). Advancing behind my Grey Hunters, they would make an interestingly tough fire magnet.

Question, if you put all Wolf Guard in other packs, do you still lose the Elite slot?

Yeah you do. It's usually worth it though. Would like to say in my infantry list I don't run WG in my Grey Hunter units (not at all, in fact). My Grey Hunters tend to wait for things to come to them, as my infantry list is quite shooty, but has a fair bit of cavalry, so they tend to sit on objectives and shoot stuff up. For anti Dreadnought/Carnifex etc, I highly recommend a TDA + Storm Shield Lone Wolf. I take 2 (one for each of my bigger Grey Hunter packs) and they basically babysit. More on these two below :P.

 

Scouts:

Oh my. Basicly a pack of Grey Hunters that can appear behind the enemy lines. Depending on the points fielded I'll either make them a small unit for anti-Devestator and -tank purpose, or a large unit, possibly with Battle Leader, to really mess up the entire enemy line. MotW seems like a no-brainer.

 

I'd recommend a Wolf Priest over a Battle Leader ;).

 

Lone Wolves:

Now these guys are really juicy! Basicly a 2A Battle Leader with FNP. I'd give him Terminator armour, and hide him behind my lines so he'll get a 2+/4++/4+++ save. Or keep him in front of my lines, racing for the enemy line, and hopefully tying up a unit or diverting some heavy weapons fire. At 45 points he'll take a lot of punishment, will last long enough in combat against most units, and can also defeat the average Terminator.

 

Now, this I think you've understated! Lone Wolves are easily my favourite unit in my Infantry list. I run two, one with TDA, a Storm shield, and a Thunder Hammer, the other with TDA, a SS and a Chainfist. One for MCs, one for tanks. They usually end up defending my GHs from some kind of threat (last game it was a defiler) before running off and killing even more stuff. Hell, I usually have one alive at the end of a game (which is a bad thing). But for 85 pts, they kill so much! I highly advise trying at least one of them set up like I said in your next game. :)

 

 

Grey Hunters:

 

I tend to field these in large numbers, as I love to have lots of rank-and-file. I'm talking 40+ in 1000 points, all on foot.

 

I run 2x10 and 1x6 in 1500. That's a lot of Space Wolves in your list. I wouldn't advise a WG in all 4, as for the points you could get another GH squad (once upgraded etc).

 

Alternatively a small squad of 5 could advance behind my Grey Hunter packs, counter-attacking anything that charges the GHs. Or they can hang back and guard objectives, or provide fire support with a heavy weapon WG.

 

On Blood Claws. That squad is just asking to get shot at by those "miscellaneous, nothing better to shoot at" weapons. Like that spare plasma gun. Or the mortar. I'd say 15, possibly in a land raider, or nothing. Skyclaws aren't bad with a Wolf Priest though.

 

Land Speeders:

These seem like the usual excellent choice. I'd go with a melta and heavy flamer for tank/mob hunting, while my packs divert the enemy fire power. A Typhoon missile launcher hanging back seems a bit fragile, but worth the conversion.

 

I run a Typhoon with a Multi Melta (for Raider/BW Rushes), and it's not that good, but it makes it's points up in transports usually. And 3 S8 shots is nice.

 

 

 

 

 

Long Fangs:

These are pretty cheap, and with all my Grey Hunters advancing, there's a good chance the enemy won't shoot them all too much.

Pack size and weapons layout would depend on points played. They will however be my main anti-tank unit, and I just love those plasma cannons :).

A Wolf Guard pack leader seems like a really good idea, adding a cheap extra wound and 3/4 extra attacks, without any upgrades!

 

I would skip the WG, mine're never in combat, as very little makes it. I advise against Plasma Cannons, but I'm from a mech heavy environment. If in your area you see a lot of 4th edition style lists then it's a good plan! :lol:

 

 

 

Just my 2c :)

[styx]

Arch pretty much said what I would say. If you got the extra 18 to toss a WG into the Long Fangs that can't be used anywhere else. Go for it.

 

The best combos for Long Fangs i've seen are:

 

5 Missile launchers

 

3 Missile Launchers and 2 Lascannons

 

3 Heavy bolters and 2 Lascannons

 

Each has their own use. The first is a generic, takes on most MC and light-mid range armor. Trouble with 14 though.

 

Second hits harder, spreads out taking advantages of above and a bit stronger armor punch.

 

The third is a combo for armor punching and taking on blocks of troosp or MCs causing lots of saves.

[sanem]

thanks for the advice guys: it's been a while, and I feel like a pup all over again :D

I'll test my idea's and your suggestions, and update here

the Lone Wolf with Storm Shield certainly sounds like a fun thing to try :D

[Rune Priest Ridcully]

Overall I agree, but you have forgotten one thing, Iron Priests, do not under estamate them, give them some cyber wolves and have them guard things that have to get close like vindicators :D

[Aeddon]

Overall I agree, but you have forgotten one thing, Iron Priests, do not under estamate them, give them some cyber wolves and have them guard things that have to get close like vindicators :D

Heard one with the Iron Priest I wanna try. Uses him as an ad hoc medic for dreadnoughts. Iron Priest and three servitors in a rhino and you've got a great way to add survivability to a couple dreadnoughts.