The Sons of Russ vs the Sons of Sanguinus

[LoneSniperSG]

Sooo.. I guess all my poking has finally roused my friend to re-build his Blood Angels (after a messy breakup with a fiancee, who made off with over half his BA stuff, claiming it for her Dark Angels), and he has set me in his sights.

 

My army has work to be done on it for sure. I haven't yet updated it for the new codex, since I've been more busy with my Imperial Guard as of late, but both of us are in a similar boat there.

 

My only concerns are what to field against him.

 

I spent a good hour or so chatting with him about what his BA were like before. He LOVES LOVES LOVES his Death Company, and Furioso Dreadnoughts. He doesn't use many tanks, but does like to use a Land Raider, a Whirly and his Baal Predator, and I am unsure as to what his fast attack looks like. Knowing him, he'll have a couple Tornados and a bike squad or two. His usual elites consist of Terminators and Dreadnoughts.

 

For sure he wants to take five troops atleast and split them into combat squads, thereby getting ten Death Company marines for zero cost. Along with this, Chaplain Lemartes will most likely make an appearance.

 

I've fought against Black Templars and Ultramarines before, so I feel that I get the gist of countering other Marines, but the BA seem to have a few more variables.

 

I believe I'll shirk off the Blood Claw packs and stick only with Grey Hunters for my infantry. Higher WS and BS seem to be a smarter choice for countering the BA. Along with this four bikes, A land speeder Tornado, two Dreadnoughts, Terminator wolf guard with my Wolf Lord, a Rune and Wolf Priest, and my own Land Raider, Predator Destructor and a Vindicator or two.

 

Any input from anti-Blood Angel veterans?

[Legatus]

For sure he wants to take five troops atleast and split them into combat squads, thereby getting ten Death Company marines for zero cost.

That's not how Death Company works currently, and I seriously doubt it will be how it works in the coming Codex, because it would be mechanically impossible. Combat Squads are done at the time when the squad is deployed, so a Tactical quad that comes in turn 3 via drop pod would only then be divided into two Combat Squads. Is the Blood Angels player then allowed to add another DC Marine to his Death Company? It will most likely be the number of Troop choics that are bought, so in this case five. That they might later during the course of the game or deployment be divided into Combat Squads probably has no bearing on the Death Company.

[LoneSniperSG]

Hm. Okay. Misinformation aside, He has no quandries about paying to fill out the DC squad.

[Wildfire]

First off, I'd tell him to wait a month or so before building any new models, as a new BA 'dex comes out in April.

 

Also, you do not double your DC by splitting units into combat squads. If he purchases a Tac squad, it gives him one DC, no matter what he does with it (gives it extra men, splits it, whatever).

 

Currently, the only real things BA have that SW don't do better is mobility. Their transports are faster, their Baal is faster and nastier (can potentially shoot everything and move 6"), they have attack bike squadrons for cheap, and they can take assualt marines as troops. Don't seperate your units, or they'll be eaten piecemeal. If he goes the attack bike route for anti-tank, mech lists are going to be hurting.

 

In CC, though, even GH squads can get almost as much power weapon goodness as their Vets. DC is about the only thing that SW don't have a comparable unit for. Shootingwise, they may have a long-range edge, but not much of one, and if he chooses to exploit that then he's going to be getting less DC.

[Stormbrow II]

There is a PDF doing the rounds that shines light (roughly) on what the BA will look like in a few months. There's no point rebuilding a list until the book is officially released in April. Tell him to paint as much stuff as he can so he can play with a fully-painted army straight away. That should preserve his sanity.

 

It helped mine after a girl I brought home one night rolled my freshly-painted Dreadnought model like a dice asking if that was how they worked.

[LoneSniperSG]

... Dunno what's more scary, that you got a girl to look at it, or that she rolled it like a dice. :cry:

[Wildfire]

There is a PDF doing the rounds that shines light (roughly) on what the BA will look like in a few months. There's no point rebuilding a list until the book is officially released in April.

 

The PDF is likely fake.